Strings of Fate
by Soulless Ghost
Summary: The fabric of reality is woven from strings no one can see, no one can change. Right? Follows Making Peace and What We Leave Behind.
1. Weaver

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): This is another story that is canonical with What We Leave Behind and Making Peace. I strongly recommend you read both of them or none of this will make any sense. Now on with Strings of Fate.

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Chapter 1

**Weaver**

Another cloud drifted over the darkened city, driven by the implacable sea breeze. The new moon and mostly cloudy sky left the structures around her in a shadowy relief. She tread carefully along the alley, trying her best to be silent. Fitful bursts of starlight and the occasional flickering light bulb hung haphazardly above a loading door gave her just enough light to navigate by. Though the light helped, right now, it was also her greatest danger. Hiding behind boxes and scouting ahead she dashed silently through the pool of light.

The fleeting instant of illumination picked out the form of a young woman. As she ran her long brown hair whipped in the wind, as did her ankle length black coat. She turned to look back as she crossed through the next pool. This time the light found the short-skirted red dress and short heels on her feet. She had to quickly fight for balance as the heavy backpack she wore swung with her movement. Steadying herself she slipped behind a stack of crates and scouted the area ahead. It was a long open space between a pair of buildings. For at least a hundred yards there would be nowhere for her to hide save the shadows between lights.

Again she cursed herself for not having her ride drop her off closer to her destination. He would have she knew. They had only met that afternoon…but she knew. A moment before she stepped from her hiding spot she heard a metallic tink from ahead. As she watched an aluminum can flipped and rolled into view, followed by a pair of large suited men. She recognized them instantly. She didn't have to look to know they each held a pistol in one hand. Pulling her lightly tanned face farther back into the shadows she listened as one of them turned to the other.

"Jesus Frank! That had to be the only can in the whole damn alley! I even pointed it out! We're trying to be quiet here!"

"Gimme a break Lou! I thought I already passed it! Besides, your yelling is louder than any can."

"Whatever. Come on, we gotta find her before the others do."

"What makes you think she's around here?"

"This is where the guy said he dropped her off. Boss figured she'd stay here until dark, and then make for the island."

"When did the guy say that?"

"After the third bullet. You were out of the room."

"Oh…you really think she's headed out there?"

"Boss thinks so. You want to go against him, be my guest."

"Now I didn't say that…but still, why would she wait around here."

"No people, no cops."

"How do we know she didn't got to the cops?"

"Boss'd know in ten minutes. You know that."

"Right…but what if we run into one out here?" They were close now, only twenty yards from the crates she had hidden behind. Silently, her head began whipping around, trying to find an escape route. She was cut off by lights and open ground all around.

"Cops never come out here. Be a one in a million shot if a patrol came through here right now."

"Right…" They both wheeled around as pair of headlights illuminated them from behind. The rack of lights on the car sprang to life in a dizzying display of reds and blues. The two men hesitated for a split second before turning again and dashing away from the car. In the five seconds the officer hesitated they reached the crates she was hiding behind. She crouched down as they, and then the squad car tore past her, headed for the split in the alley. The men split and headed opposite ways while the car slid around the corner and shot after one of them.

After waiting a moment as the siren faded she slipped out from behind the crates and quickly made her way along one wall of the alley. A minute later she had reached the crossroads where the alley terminated. Carefully glancing around she spied a dark colored sedan parked in the shadows of the building. Darting across the road she again took refuge behind some boxes. The scent of sea air had been growing stronger for the last several minutes, and here she smelled it more clearly than ever. She could almost feel the salt in the air. She was close now. Very close. Turning, she hurried along toward the water's edge.

Reaching the brick and concrete wall that bordered the bay she glanced around once more. A moment later she found a small dingy hanging from chains over the water. Rushing to it she looked over the lowering mechanism but could find no way to drop the craft. Grabbing the support structure she shook it in frustration. It barely moved under the relatively weak force she had exerted on it. A second later though, the chains that held the boat aloft snapped, dropping the craft into the water with a small splash. Glancing around to see if anyone had heard she carefully stepped down into the boat.

Firing up the small engine on the first pull she steered the craft away from the dock and out into the bay. The still water barely rippled as the breeze passed through. For a brief moment the clouds parted and starlight picked out her form as she crossed the mile of water to her destination. Relief began to sweep through her, but it was still underlied by a latent fear. Since she had fled from Venture City a week ago, she hadn't had a good night's sleep or a moment of peace. Now, her journey was nearly at an end.

Reaching the rocky shore she lightly jumped from the craft and landed on a boulder. Selecting her path through the large stones she made her way to the island proper. Crossing the small grassy lawn of the island's only structure, she reached her destination. Approaching the large double doors she glanced around again. Satisfied that she was well and truly alone, she drew back her left hand and rapped loudly on the door.

Another breeze whipped her coat to the side. As it fell back in place, she waited. The fifty story T shaped structure dominated the sky above her.

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(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions. 


	2. The Far Side of Night

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): Sorry for the delay. This one wanted to be a bitch.

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Chapter 2

**The Far Side of Night**

Sunlight cleared the Sierra Nevada's and bathed Jump City in warming illumination. The massive tower in the center of the bay glittered in the light. A cooling sea breeze crossed the bay and swept the night's sleepiness from the faces of the city's residents. All of them knew they were protected by the best guardians any town could ask for. The Teen Titans had protected the city form destruction, death and, even though no one knew it, Armageddon. A few people glanced at the giant footprint burned into the ground near the center of town. Apparently a robot of some such had gotten loose and left it before the Titan's captured it.

That explanation had been plausible enough considering all the weird stuff that happened around here. The masses went about their business; unaware of the things that had happened or the huge number of alternate courses their timeline could have taken. The theorized alternate dimensions where these realities played out were lost to the humble workers of Jump City. None of them knew just how close the end had been.

In the Tower though, they did. Each and every one of them knew what had almost happened and the prices that had been paid to avert that horrible reality. One of those people awoke slowly. Her eyes fluttered open of the course of several seconds. She instinctively brushed violet hair out her face as she lay on her side with the hand that wasn't pinned under the pillow.

As she did so, a number of realizations about her current state pulsed through her mind. First, that she was completely naked. She never slept like that; she was always at least partially dressed to be ready to go in the middle of the night. The second was the arm wrapped around her waist holding her to the warm body pressed against her back. A very mild panic slipped up through her sleep addled brain. Then the next, a masculine voice from behind her head, mumbling in sleep.

"Mmmm…Raven…yeah…right there…" That was…Beast Boy? In a flash he brain recovered and memories crashed down on her. As she sorted out what they were and recalled the last several weeks, and especially last night…and early this morning, her whole body relaxed and melted back into Garfield's body. A moment later his body tensed and she could feel him coming to against her back.

Removing the arm around her waist and propping himself up on his opposite elbow he rubbed his eyes and looked around.

"Morning Beautiful." Raven rolled onto her back and looked up into his eyes, shining in the small bit of late morning light that had managed to sneak past her heavy curtains and into her room. For a brief second all the illumination in the room seemed to gather itself to shine off them in a way that hypnotized her.

"Hey."

"How you feeling." Raven considered the question for a moment, still partially in the dreamy fugue of waking.

"Good. Really…really good."

"Glad to hear it."

"And you, Gar?"

"Incredible. Third best morning of my life."

"Third?" Raven stared at him. She was fairly certain she knew what one of them was.

"Uh-huh. I think you can guess the second. The first was that first day I met you. I knew right than and there that you were something incredibly special, and I was going to make you laugh, even if it killed me." Raven blushed slightly at the compliment and received him openly as he kissed her, lips full of love and edged with passion. Memories of the previous night coursed through her mind and she felt her emotions rising before she could control them. A loud crash somewhere in a nearby storage room broke them apart in an instant.

"Damn it."

"Guess that thing wore off, huh?"

"Unfortunately. But it was nice while it lasted."

"You can always use another one, right?"

"Yeah…but then I can't use my powers. What if we're attacked? I'd be helpless. I wouldn't be able to help you." Garfield's face fell a little as she spoke.

"Damn it. Why can't anything every be easy for us?"

"Because if it was easy, we wouldn't appreciate it."

"I suppose. Oh well, just means we have to take precautions."

"Speaking of precautions…"

"Huh?"

"I have no intention of getting pregnant right now. If we're going to keep doing this, you're going to suit up."

"Awww…okay…"

"Don't give me that. Keep it up and I'll cut you off completely." Garfield, cocked and eyebrow and leaned down to whisper heatedly in her ear.

"Like you could ever resist me." Another crash snapped him back from her.

"Better stop. People will become suspicious."

"If you insist." Pushing back he rose and stood to the side of the bed. Stumbling around the room he collected the discarded pieces of his uniform and carefully formed a pile out of hers. As he did so Raven pushed herself back to a sitting position against the headboard. Tucking the top sheet under her arms she watched his move about. A small smile formed on her lips and her head began bouncing very slightly to a tune only she could hear.

Garfield pulled on the various pieces of his uniform and tried to shake his head clear. Returning to the side of the bed he leaned close and kissed her once again. He pulled back and turned to the door, contemplating how best to dodge the others that might be about this morning. His question was answered as he began to sink through the floor. Turning his head he smiled at Raven as he began to disappear through the black portal in the floor.

"I love you Raven."

"I love you too Gar." Her smile was the last thing he saw before falling through emptiness for a second. Emerging in his own room he landed with a bounce on yet another pile of clothes.

After several minutes Raven rose form the bed and stretched. In the same motion she collected the bed coverings and her leotard and banished them to another dimension. Raking a hand through her hair she headed for the bathroom and the shower.

The steamy hot water flowed over her, cleaning her body and clearing her mind. While keeping a tight reign on her emotions she began reliving the previous night. Each memory she held, touched, felt to her very soul and then packed them carefully away in the deepest part of her mind. His love was her most treasured possession. It had carried her through dark times, it had brought her back and, in the end, it had saved the world.

After everything that had happened to her over the last years it was wonderful to finally have someone she could trust to always be there, and even to fight through hell itself to help her. Next to that, fighting her father had been simple. Garfield had given her the strength to banish him. The world owed him a debt it would never know about.

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Beast Boy stepped from the shower and resisted the impulse to turn into a dog and shake himself dry. Instead he reached for a towel and went to work. Minutes later he emerged form the bathroom, towel around his waist, and stepped lightly through the room, trying to avoid tripping. Reaching the closet he dug out a fresh uniform and went about getting dressed. He unconsciously whistled some nondescript tune as he did so.

Stretching as he finished dressing he finally glanced at the clock. He started at seeing it was already 11 am. His stomach soon confirmed the hour by loudly protesting at how it had been ignored. Feeling the pangs of hunger he headed for the door. Slipping his belt on he stepped out and headed for the kitchen. Making his way through the tower he noted how empty it felt compared to recent days. With Terra and Cyborg gone it felt…just a little odd. They had had a guest for so long, it was weird to part with her.

Well, Terra should be fine in her new home. Bee would keep her on the straight and narrow and maybe in a few months, he would go out and visit. Reaching the common room he passed through the doors to find a completely normal scene…sort of. Robin was hunched over the computer searching for whatever it was he searched for while Starfire watched some bizarre cooking program, furiously taking notes.

"Morning!" Star turned from the couch for a moment.

"Good morning Friend Beast Boy!" She rapidly turned back and kept writing. After a moment Robin turned as well.

"Morning." He also turned back, not even sparing a glance for Star. Beast Boy headed for the stove and began assembling ingredients for breakfast. As an afterthought her set the filled teapot on the stove and turned on the flame to boil it. Frying up a tofu and orange juice plate he sat down to eat. Raven slid through the door a moment later in full uniform and exchanged a similar greeting with the other two.

Silently making her tea with the readied water she sat across from him and sipped as he ate.

"Thanks."

"No problem." They sat in silence, each consuming their morning meal. As Beast Boy neared the end Raven glanced at the other two and furrowed her brow. Speaking just loud enough for him to hear she asked.

"Have they said anything to each other?" He shook his head. "I wonder what's up?" Beast Boy considered the question as he finished the last couple bites. He too spoke low.

"Lover's spat? Maybe he's not everything she hoped he would be. Not really able to fill her desire." Raven nearly choked as she realized what he was implying. A fierce look from her cut off whatever he was going to add. Instead he rose and turned to the sink, rinsed his dishes and tossed them in the dishwasher. Sitting back down he glanced around trying to figure out what to do. Raven finished her tea and seemed to be in a similar dilemma. After several moments of staring at each other Beast Boy rose and turned toward the door.

"Well, I'm going to rent a movie. Who's with me?" He expected Robin and Star to jump to their feet and rush out the door. Instead, they all but ignored him, merely shaking their heads in response. After a moment of shock he was pulled along by Raven who had grasped his wrist. As the door skid shut at their departure she turned and spoke.

"Whatever's going on with those two, I don't want to get involved. The tension's so thick in there you could cut it with a knife. So, which place are we going to?" Beast Boy hurried along beside her as they headed for the roof.

"Steve's World." She furrowed her brow in thought trying to summon up an image of the place.

"Never heard of it."

"It's a little store out in burbs. Only locals know it, but they're dead loyal to it. Chain store tried to open up there a while back. They couldn't compete with the place. They have everything. Steve makes sure to get the off beat stuff chain stores don't because it won't rent. Reasonable prices, excellent selection, hard to beat." Moving ahead he opened the door to the roof and held it for her.

"So how did you find it?" Stepping out onto the roof she stretched and turned toward the city.

"I was looking for something specific, guy at MegaBlockBusters sent me there. Never go anywhere else now. Don't have to, he's always open."

"Always?"

"Noon to 10, 365 days a year."

"Wow."

"Yep. Now, come on." Reaching the edge he turned into a falcon and rose on the updraft coming off the side of the tower. Rising into the air, Raven followed him as he set out across the city. Passing over the docks and cruising through downtown she got a glimpse of the burned footprint that had been the center of so much speculation. Banking slightly south they reached the suburbs. Consisting almost exclusively of two story homes and the occasional school the reach a small main street type area consisting of several stores. Touching down Beast Boy resumed his normal form and led her to a door set in the side of a small alcove in the brick façade.

"This place is great." Holding the door he followed her in. Raven was surprised at how dim the place was. She was used to rental stores being bright and sunny. This place was far more subdued. It was long; forty feet to the glass case counter and another thirty to the back wall and thirty feet wide. Glass cases and wooden rack held a huge selection of merchandise. Just from where she stood Raven could make out a New, Current and general release section as well as large video game section and several cases full of collectibles including cards and models. Taking another step in she could see a large selection of CDs and soda coolers. She looked around in wonder at the temple to digital entertainment.

"Hey, Beast Boy!" She turned to see a thin man with shoulder length, nearly black, brown hair and thin rimmed glasses. His complexion was slightly pale; probably form the hours he worked. He wore a striped shirt, jeans and looked to be about thirty. Beast Boy smiled in response and strode toward the counter, Raven following out of curiosity.

"Hey Steve-o. How's it going?"

"Good. You?"

"Same as always."

"Glad you're here, the SD figures just came in."

"Really? Let's see 'em!" Steve reached behind the glass case counted, which Raven had discovered held several different card games and single cards for what she thought to be exorbitant prices, and came up with a cardboard box. Pulling the flaps open Beast Boy dove in. Confused, Raven asked the obvious question.

"SD?" Beast boy spoke, elbow deep in styrofoam peanuts.

"Super Deformed." After a moment he added, "Oh…sorry. Raven, this is Steve, owner. Steve, this is Raven, my girlfriend, tell anyone I'll kill you, though you probably recognize her."

"Indeed I do. It's an honor to meet you. You're one of our biggest sellers."

"I…am?"

"Yeah. Raven models, posters, everything. Just flies of the shelf. You have quite a fan base."

"I…do?"

"Yeah…sorry…you probably don't want to hear about that…"

"Got it!" Beast Boy rose form the box triumphantly with a small figure in his hand. Raven took a close look and found it to be a figure of Beast Boy…only…his body was tiny and his head was huge, even for Beast Boy.

"What the hell? It's deformed…even for you."

"No, it's Super Deformed."

"O…kay."

"SD models, everyone loves these things."

"You got me."

"Right…I'm gonna go look for a movie…" Turning, Raven made her way through the cases and began scouring the wooden racks of movies for something to watch. After a minute Beast Boy joined her and also began fingering through visible spines of the movies.

"Hey, how about this?" He held up a case for her to see.

"Not again, you've seen that three times."

"Hey, the gun katas are awesome, what can I say?"

"No."

"Fine." He went back to searching and worked his way around the shelf to see her pick up a copy of The Craft. Diving, he knocked it out of her hands. "No, none of that."

"Why?"

"Just…trust me."

"Fine." After another few minutes of searching he came up with a copy of Suspect 0.

"Hey Steve! This any good?"

"Did you like Seven?"

"Yeah."

"It's kind of like Seven…with remote viewing." Raven's head popped up.

"Really? We'll take it."

Several minutes later they were headed to the store. Raven paged through the DVD booklet as she walked.

"So what else do we need to pick up?"

"Well…popcorn, soda…nachos…we need nachos."

"Great…nachos."

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(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions. 


	3. Tremors in the Web

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): Now I can get moving on this.

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Chapter 3

**Tremors in the Web**

Raven touched down lightly on the tower's roof with a grocery bag in one hand and turned to watch as a green hawk flipped the DVD case it was holding into the air before changing into Beast Boy and catching it. Turning he held the door for her once again.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew so many people in that neighborhood?" Just in the twenty minutes that they had been in the store he had met half a dozen people he knew. He shrugged in response.

"Never seemed important. You know now." He followed her down the stairs to the tower's interior. "So, you think Rob and Star will be in a better mood?"

"Who knows with those two. Regardless, we are going to enjoy this movie if we have to lock them in their rooms to do so."

"Agreed. So…mind if I sit next to you?" Raven feigned serious consideration before turning to him.

"I think that would be acceptable."

"Yay!" They walked on for several moments. Arriving at the common room, Raven made a beeline for the kitchen to put the groceries away while Beast Boy made an announcement to the room. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Behold!" Raising the case in both hands, he held it aloft like an offering. "I bring you…a Movie!" Whatever reaction he was expecting, it certainly wasn't what he got. Robin half turned his head and threw a lazy thumbs up before returning to work while Star merely turned and smiled before going back to her cooking show.

Dejected, Beast Boy dropped the movie to his side. "Right…" Raven returned to his side and shook her head at the other two. "So…what do we do for the rest of the afternoon? I suppose you want to meditate."

"Yeah…but I can do that anywhere. What do you want to do?"

"I can think of a few things…" The mischievous grin on his face told her exactly what he was thinking. She colored slightly at him acting in such a manner in front of the others. They however, were oblivious to his innuendoes.

"And what might those be? Choose your words with care."

"Well…I was going to hit the training room. Care to join me?"

"Sure." Without another word she lead the way to the elevator and they made their way to the Titan's training room. Beast Boy stepped through the door and autonomically grabbed the remote and tossed a CD in. A second before he hit play, he stopped.

"Oh…I suppose, you'd rather have quiet?"

Raven stepped into the air and took her normal meditative position. "Go ahead, I don't mind. It's kind of like white noise while I'm meditating, helps clear my mind."

"Okay…thanks." He hit play and the speed metal blasted through the room. Heading over to the punching bags he stretched and prepared for his normal two-hour work out. Breaking into a flurry of strikes, his mind shut down as he fell into the familiar rhythm of exercise.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." The automatic chant was lost to all but Raven as it was drowned out by the music as soon as it left her lips. The music, the room, everything became distant as she focused more and more. A great, peaceful calm settled over her, as she continued her breathing became shallow, low. It was just her, floating through an unknown dimension, the eternity of space laid out around her closed eyes.

This was the peace she sought in meditation. Emptiness, silence. For a fleeting time, she was free from the thousands of feelings and emotions that usually bombarded her empathic senses. Most she didn't mind, some, like Beast Boy's, she enjoyed. Some though were just plain annoying. Her empathic abilities did give a small measure of prescience though, so she was loathe to shut them down.

In this empty void she was able to examine her memories and experiences and scrye the future for all the paths each might lead her down. It was times like this she let herself consider futures and where her life might go, her mind's eye summoning the images as she conceived them. Normally she didn't indulge in the fantasy pictures of what she might do. Before her birthday, there hadn't seemed to be much point. But now, she had changed her destiny…or at least reversed it. Suddenly questions like 'where do I want to be in ten years' took on a real significance.

She had a vague recollection of little girls talking about being married and where they would live when she was young. Unbidden, a series of images passed through her mind. Garfield in a tux, her in a white dress, a home out on a hill side overlooking the ocean, two…no three children, a middle aged Garfield teaching his…their growing children the ins and outs of shape shifting.

Before she could fully assimilate these images another series flashed past. Each seemed a three dimensional hologram that she rotated around as she passed, and then warped on. Her yelling at Garfield before blasting him away, tears streaming down her eyes. Loneliness, wandering the darkest corners of the world, totally alone, a white room. A place so cold and empty it made her shiver. Her life ending, cold and alone. Garfield going to Terra, them breaking up, both of them turning destructive…eventually brought down by the JLA.

Snapping forcefully away from that line of thought she turned to something else. She could see Robin and Star…a wedding…a child? It was always more difficult to see another's paths. She didn't even attempt Cyborg; she just wasn't up to that.

Instead, she returned to the initial image of her and Garfield…at their wedding. Focusing on that image, the pair of them at the altar, the rest of the scene slowly filled it self in as she rotated around the couple, frozen in time. Pews constructed themselves out of nothing and filled with people. Friends, family, members of the JLA, everybody. She felt as if she had seen this building before, been here, before. After watching the frozen scene for an unknown amount of time she stepped back, away from it and allowed the construct to fade. A small smile crossed her lips, even as she stepped out of the peaceful trance and slowly returned to the real world.

Her eyes fluttered open to find Beast Boy sitting on a bench watching her. After a moment she spoke. "What?"

"Nothing. I just finished my workout and was waiting for you."

"Finished…? How long have I been meditating?":

"Couple hours. I would have woken your…but you just looked so…peaceful. What were you thinking about?"

"Oh…uh…" Raven blushed slightly. "Nothing. Just this and that."

"Okay." He waited for several moments, just watching her.

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking how incredibly beautiful you are." Raven truly blushed this time and stepped out of the air as he rose to meet her. They embraced in a light if meaningful kiss for several moments.

"You need a shower." Beast Boy cocked and eyebrow at the sudden change in topics. After a second, he nodded. "Yeah…I do. Care to join me?" She had to chock back surprise and then her first response as her eyes bulged at his directness.

"Uh…"

"No…I suppose not. Don't want to destroy the tower, do we?" Releasing her he stepped back and smiled.

"No…we wouldn't…"

"Well, I'm going to catch a shower. See you in a little bit my love." He turned to go as Raven fought to clamp down on her raging emotions. Successfully slowing her heartbeat she focused and found her calm. She needed some tea.

* * *

The credits rolled and the four titans sat, eyes wide. Beast Boy was the first to speak. "Sweet!" Raven and Robin to his right and Starfire to his left on the couch each echoed the sentiment in their own ways. A black tendril snapped out and turned on the light as several more picked up empty candy wrappers, bowls holding only a few unpopped kernels and spent soda cans. With a deft motion Raven dumped the garbage and deposited the dishes in the sink. The others looked on in surprise before Robin spoke.

"Thanks."

"No problem. But someone else can wash them."

"Fair enough." Beast Boy removed the disc, replaced it in the case and set it on the table. He glanced at the clock. Nine thirty.

"So…what now?" The way Robin and Star were avoiding each other's eyes was so obvious they might as well have been staring. Beast Boy rolled his eyes at the way they were behaving. Raven noticed the motion and nodded ever so slightly in agreement. She glanced at the clock as well. After there escapades last night, she could use a full night of sleep.

"Well, I think I'm going to…" She cut off as a small light began to flash accompanied by the sound of the tower's doorbell. Robin dashed to the TV remote and activated the door feed. As it activated they all beheld a young woman, maybe 19, with long brown hair wearing a long black coat pulled tightly around her thin frame and a backpack. Beast Boy looked at the image, puzzled.

"How did she get out here?" Robin shook his head.

"Got me. But it would be rude not to say something." He pressed a couple buttons so his image would be transmitted down to the console in the entryway. "Hello."

"Uh…Hi. Robin, right?"

"Uh…yeah. And you are?"

"My name…is Sarah."

"Okay…Sarah. How can we help you?"

"I…I was hoping you could protect me. There's some people after me…for my abilities."

"Abilities? Like…powers?"

"Sort of… Could I come in…and discuss it? Please?"

"Uh…sure. Raven will bring you up." Raven nodded off screen and disappeared into a portal in the floor. "See you in a minute."

"Thank you!" The image flickered off as Robin shut off the channel. He turned around to wait with the others. Star had a half tired, half curious expression and Beast Boy was watching a fly buzz around the room. Star turned just enough to notice him and quickly turned away. He shook his head and waited. A few moments later the door slid open and Raven led the girl into the common room. The girl set her backpack near the door and moved on. Raven motioned to a chair and they gathered around the table to hear the girl's tale. Robin took his accustomed place at the head of the table and spoke.

"You said you needed protection why not go to the police?"

"I…I tried. The police in Venture City either ignored me or laughed me off. They said I was paranoid. I told them people were after me for my abilities, when they asked for proof…I didn't have any."

"Okay…let's start at the beginning. What 'abilities'?"

"Um…I know this is going to sound silly…but…I'm…extremely lucky."

"Lucky?"

"Yeah…no matter what's going on, everything always goes my way." Raven furrowed he brow, obviously pessimistic.

"Okay…so you're the victim of odd coincidence. That doesn't mean you have any special powers." Sarah responded with an outburst that seemed at first to be totally disproportionate to the comment. She burst to her feet and nearly screamed at Raven.

"IT'S NOT COINCEDENCE! It's real! These things happen! I'm not imagining it!" She was breathing heavy by the time she finished and collapsed back into the chair, reddening at the outburst as she caught her breath. The others sat it shock at the tirade. "I…I'm sorry. It's just…when you get the same response so often, it starts to grate on you." Beast Boy recovered first and slowly put his hand up.

"Uh…question. If your so lucky…why did the police laugh you off?"

"It…it turns out the officers I spoke to were on the payroll of the person who's after me. They would have sold me out in a heartbeat."

"Next point…who is it that's after you?"

"Her name is…unknown to me. I've only ever heard her referred to as the boss. Her agents have tried to capture me on a number of occasions, many of which I narrowly avoided. She and her crew moved into Venture City about six months ago and have been slowly consolidating or eliminating the competition. I know for a fact she owns three casinos and has her eye on half a dozen others. She's also into arms, drugs and just about everything else."

"Why does she want you?"

"Who doesn't want their own good luck charm? Some of the people she wants to buy out won't sell, and open war is an option she'd rather avoid. But if there's one truth in Venture City, nearly everyone's a gambler. She can win what she wants…as long as she has the deck stacked in her favor." Raven had recovered from the outburst and spoke.

"How do you know all this?"

"She told me. They did manage to get me…once. I was heavily sedated and only remember what she said and her blood red coat, but she did speak to me. Fortunately the sedative was defective and I managed to escape a short time later. I thought she would give up. I was obviously wrong. I've relied on my luck to protect me for so long…when it failed, I didn't know what to do."

"Any idea why your luck failed?"

"It started a month ago, the second time she tried to capture me. I did notice some one odd with her that time. A girl wearing a tight short skirted dress who had pink hair turned up in points." The others looked at her, shocked. Beast Boy was again the first to speak.

"No way…Jinx?" Sarah looked at him, confused.

"You know her." Robin nodded.

"Yes. She was part of the HIVE academy. A training ground for criminals we later destroyed. She has the power to project bad luck on her enemies." Sarah looked at him, incredulous.

"You faced her and you questioned MY claims?"

"Point taken. Did she have a little guy with a back pack or a large bodybuilder hairy type with her?"

"I didn't see either of those. Are they cohorts of hers?"

"Gizmo and Mammoth. They used to work as a trio. Well…we beat them before, we'll beat them again." The others considered this for a moment and glanced at each other. Robin, seeing no objection in the faces of his teammates spoke again.

"Okay…you can stay here…at least for tonight. We can figure out what we're going to do tomorrow." She rose, as did the others.

"Thank you. I was so afraid you would turn me away as well."

"Titan's always help those in trouble. Starfire, would you show her to the guest room?"

"Certainly Friend Robin." There was something in the way she spoke that only people who knew her as well as Beast Boy and Raven could have caught. She was mad at Robin for something or other. Star easily lifted the pack Sarah had deposited near the door and led the girl out toward the elevator. After the doors slid shut Robin spoke again.

"Raven…what can you tell me?"

"She's sincere. Strange as it may seem, she truly believes what she told us. There is something odd about her, I can't put my finger on it though."

"Let me know if you do. The sooner we know what we're dealing with, the better."

"Will do."

"Good. Now, if you two will excuse me, I'm going to bed."

"'Night," the pair said in unison. Nodding in reply Robin headed for the door. There was several seconds of silence after he left before Beast Boy spoke.

"Sleep sounds like a good idea." Raven yawned in response and nodded.

"Walk me to my door?"

"Like I could say no."

* * *

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions. 


	4. The Essence of Chance

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): Another chapter, another cliffhanger.

* * *

Chapter 4

**The Essence of Chance**

Robin laid into the bag a final time and sent it swinging on its chain. Jumping back he took several deep breaths and focused. He glanced at the clock, half past six. That should do it for this morning. Grabbing a towel he headed for his room and the shower. Entering the empty room he grimaced slightly. It took a moment to realize why. He had become used to Starfire being there. She hadn't spent every night…but for the first time in weeks she slept in her own room not out of exhaustion, but anger.

Robin had no idea how one innocuous comment could have fucked things up so badly. Shaking his head as clear as he could he began pulling off the uniform and headed for his bathroom. Letting ice cold water course over his body for minute he switched on the hot valve and sighed as the room steamed up. His mind cleared and the aches of training disappeared. If not for his sense of duty, he would have been hard pressed to leave that soothing spot. Eventually though, he stepped out and dried off. Stepping back into his main room he pulled out one of his uniforms and began to dress.

Several minutes later he started through his tradition breakfast of whatever was available. It was quiet, peaceful this early in the morning. The sun had yet to break over the mountains and the ocean was cast in a predawn glow. As he finished the printed began to chatter next to the computer.

Rushing over he grabbed the single piece of paper that emerged and read quickly.

Teen Titans,

In reference to the events which transpired recently, a representative of the Justice League will be arriving late this morning to interview you in person and compile a report of the occurrence.

JLA HQ

It was about time. Superman had mentioned something about this when he had talked to them last week. Robin began to wonder who they would send. Probably some low-level member. Information gathering hardly ranked high with all their other concerns. All thought of that however was blown form his mind as the door slid open and Sarah stepped in, dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans. He mentally slapped himself to stop staring at her. The coat she had worn had hidden her body, now that it was gone… He mentally slapped himself again and spoke to give him something to focus on.

"Good morning."

"Morning. Thank you for the room. It's very nice."

"No problem. We try to take care of our guests." She stood stock still, glancing around nervously. "Uh…something wrong?"

"Oh…uh…when…when I came in last night…I guess it didn't really hit me. This is Titan's Tower…you guys are the Teen Titans. It's sort of been sinking in for the last few minutes."

"Disorientating, huh?"

"A little."

"Yeah, every now and again one of us will step back and go 'Holy shit! We're superheroes!' Fortunately, I know the best way to deal with it."

"What's that?"

"Breakfast!" The paper dropped, forgotten as Robin headed for the kitchen and searched for something for her to eat. "Okay…we've got some frozen waffles, cereal and cold pizza."

"I'll take some pizza. Wait, what kind?"

"Two slices of pepperoni, sausage and half a vegetarian."

"Could I have a couple slices of veg?"

"Sure. I doubt Beast Boy will mind." Robin began to dig out the slices on a plate as a third voice came from the door.

"No way…you're a vegetarian?" Beast Boy looked surprised as he approached, took the rest of the veg pizza form Robin and sat down.

"Not…really. I still eat seafood."

"Oh…well, it's a start." He began ripping through his pizza as she bit into hers, finding it rather tasty. She soon began to relax as they fell into comfortable conversation.

* * *

The sharp rap at the door drew Raven from her thoughts as she fastened the clasp on her bra. The damp towel from her shower levitated back to the bathroom and hung it self up as the black energy encasing it dissipated. Another rap drew a sigh. 

"Yes?"

"Friend Raven? It is Starfire. I…" The girl fell silent on the far side of the door. Raven had tried to ignore the little bundle of emotion coming ever closer to her door, back and forth for ten minutes, but she knew what was coming. Deciding to extract payment in blood from Robin for making her deal with this she responded, trying to make her voice as level as possible.

"What is it Star?"

"I was hoping…would you be willing…" Raven drew a dark blue terry cloth robe from her closet and wrapped herself while heading for the door. Punching in her code she found the agitated alien red head staring forlorn at her.

"Do you want to come in and talk?" Raven made out a slow nod as she squinted against the light in the hallway. Star took several unsure steps into the room and allowed the door to slide closed, returning peace to Raven's eyes. Raven gently led her to a chair and then sat on her bed. "So…what's on you mind?" Raven tried to sound curious, despite the fact she was sure she knew what, or rather who, the trouble was.

* * *

Raven and Star entered the common room together to find the boys sitting around the table with Sarah. Though they both were focused on her, their heads popped up at the girls' entrance. Beast Boy sent a smile to Raven, an overture she returned. Robin tentatively waved at Star. Instead of waving back, an angry look crossed Starfire's face as she turned on her heel and walked back out. Robin was on his feet in an instant as the door closed. 

"Starfire! Wait a minute!" He dashed out the door, calling to her. Raven rolled her eyes as he darted past. Making her way to the stove she set some water for tea. Beast Boy unconsciously followed her every movement with his eyes. Sarah turned back from the door, confused.

"What was all that about?" Beast Boy shrugged as Raven spoke, watching her kettle.

"They just have something they need to work out. Now." The whistle of steam cut off any response and Raven went through the well-practiced steps of steeping her tea. As she finished and raised the cup to her lips, she noticed something on the floor near the computer. It floated over a second later encased in black energy. She snatched it out of the air and noticed Sarah staring at her in awe.

"Wow…" Beast Boy noticed her reaction out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah…you get used to weird stuff around here." He switched to a small kitty cat and hopped up onto the table, staring at her with big eyes. After a moment he hopped down and turned back. "See what I mean?"

"Uh…yeah…" Raven approached and sat near Beast Boy.

"If you two are finished?" She indicated the paper in her hand. They both nodded for her to continue. "Apparently Robin was suppose to pass this on before he was…distracted. The Justice League is sending someone to interview us about what happened with my father." Beast Boy looked surprised.

"What? Today?"

"Yeah." She handed the paper to Beast Boy, who read it quickly. "Too bad Cyborg isn't here. And Terra." Beast Boy looked at her, surprised at the mention of the blond. "Well, she was part of it." Sarah looked back and forth, confused.

"Part of what?" Beast Boy opened his mouth to respond before promptly snapping it shut and turning to Raven. After a moment she spoke.

"My…father is a demon named Trigon. He tried to break into this dimension just over a week ago. We managed to stop him."

"Oh…"

Raven turned as a small light began flashing near the view screen. A moment later, a familiar image appeared from within a black framed cockpit.

"Batwing requesting clearance to the Tower Roof landing pad." Raven quickly approached the screen and activated the video pick up.

"Clearance granted. Welcome to Titan's Tower, sir."

"Where is Robin?"

"Robin is…training."

"I see. Batwing on final approach. Five minutes. Out." The image winked out and Raven turned to Beast Boy, a look of panic, tightly controlled across her face.

"Find Robin and Starfire, get them up here. I'll head to the roof to greet our guest. Now." Beast Boy nodded and hopped to his feet, dashing for the door.

"Uh…what do I do?"

"Sarah…do you want to look around the tower?"

"Uh…are you sure that's okay?"

"Better than hanging around here. You'd just be lost in the conversation anyway. Don't worry about finding anything you shouldn't, the security system will stop you form entering dangerous areas."

"Then…I suppose so…" Raven nodded and led her to the door.

"I'd suggest the evidence room or perhaps the training room. The computer will guide you."

"Thank you."

"No problem." The separated and Sarah headed for the elevator. Raven turned toward the stairs to the roof and head off. Warping up several levels she checked her clothes to make sure they were free any stains, blood or otherwise. Ascending the stairs she crossed the door way to the roof and headed for the rarely used landing pad. Glancing around, her sharp-eyed picked out the sleek black form of the batwing heading toward the tower. It circled once before setting down in front of her. A black shield blocked the windblast being generated by the engines before they shut down.

The cockpit slid open and the caped form of the Dark Knight hopped out, landing lightly on his feet. The cape fell around him and rustled very slightly as he crossed the short distance between them. He nodded very slightly at her.

"Raven. Where are the others?" Raven wondered for a second how Robin had put up with the man acting like this all the time. She was then thankful he had. It must have made dealing with her considerably easier the first year.

"Beast Boy, Robin and Starfire are assembling in the living room. Cyborg is…on assignment in Steel City, as is Terra."

"I see. Very well than. Lead the way." She gestured to the door and led the way to it. He walked with all the noise of a ghost moving across floor and stair. She surreptitiously glanced back several times to make sure he was actually there. Finding the silence strangely comforting Raven led them on, hoping with every step that Beast Boy had found the others and got them back to the living room. She also hoped Robin and Star had made up, or at lest agreed to a truce while Batman was here.

Her fears were settled when they reached the door. It slid open to reveal the three other titans waiting patiently near the back of the couch, Robin at the fore. As they entered Raven joined them, taking a place at Beast Boy's side. Batman nodded to each of them in turn.

"Starfire, Beast Boy…Robin."

"Batman. It's been a while." Raven could feel the unease radiating off of their leader. After a moment she found to her surprise, that the same feeling was emanating from Batman. Though their cool features hid it completely, she could sense it. It occurred to her she had never inquired as to the circumstances Robin had left his former master under. She made a mental note to remedy that as soon as possible. "Would you like to sit down?" Robin motioned to the main table.

* * *

With a little help from the computer system Sarah made her way to the evidence room. Within she found the most astounding collection of objects. Each had a small title card and a short description placed near the case or stand that held them. It was almost like a museum to the titan's accomplishments. Some objects held obvious danger, such a trident hung on the back wall. Others were more mundane, such as the remote control that merely looked heavily modified. 

For some time she looked over the collected relics and trophies the heroes of Jump City had gathered. A hundred names she had never heard and a thousand battles that would go unremembered by the masses had left behind this assortment.

As she worked her way through the room she came to a podium set apart from the others, alone in the corner. On it were a pair of short swords hung on a rack over a beat up manuscript. She approached, wondering what could merit this special placement on a room of such wonders. Stepping up to the stand and the small pool of light being cast on it, she read the relatively empty title card.

**Property of Alex Keystone**

**KIA**

The given date of death was just over a week ago. Why hadn't they mentioned him? She reached out, trying to touch the book. Inches from it her hand was rebuffed by a shield of some kind. A flash of black energy momentarily outlined the bubble of force covering the circular platform. Black energy? That meant that Raven had done this. Confusion crossed her face as she tried to figure out why Raven would see this, and more importantly this Alex, as important enough to erect a shield around it.

* * *

Raven stopped in mid-sentence, her thoughts were drawn instantly to the touch on the shield. For a slight second she froze, waiting. She instantly knew what had happened. Sarah must have found Alex's things. She waited several moments for a second attempt. When none came, she relaxed again. It only then she heard Robin's concerned voice. 

"Raven? Raven? You okay?" She shook her head clear and forced herself to remember what she had been saying.

"Oh…sorry. As I was saying, I was unable to move while under the influence of the object, I was a passenger in my own body…"

* * *

Still puzzling over the relationship between Raven and Alex, Sarah headed once more for the elevator. After some consideration she headed for the training room. That had been the other place of possible interest Raven had mentioned. Reaching the door she stepped in. At first she was a little disappointed. She had expected something grand and different for the titan's training room. Instead she found a mat, weights, some punching bags, in short, exactly what she would expect in a normal training room. 

Except for a few benign classes at the local center, she had never done anything resembling training. Walking the perimeter of the room she looked over the equipment they had set up. Reaching the back wall she found a small control panel labeled 'Holographic Trainer'. More out of curiosity than anything she activated the panel. As she turned around, a holographic version of Robin appeared before her. At least, it wore Robin's mask and had the build of him perhaps two years ago. It wore a white martial arts uniform with a black sash. It spoke in slightly metallic version of his voice.

"Training level?"

"Oh…uh…low?"

"Beginner mode engaged. Take the following stance." The figure turned to the side and spread its feet, hands clenched against his sides. Still slightly surprised, she complied. After taking her best approximation of the stance, the hologram spoke again. "Good. Now, try this."

* * *

Several hours later the titan's stood on the roof, watching the Batwing disappear into a passing cloud front. They all let out a deep sigh. Beast Boy finally resumed the smile he had been repressing since Batman had arrived. "Well, glad that's over with." The others spoke in unison. 

"Agreed." Starfire grabbed Robin's wrist and nearly drug him to the door.

"Hey! What…wait! What are you doing?"

"We need to talk." Without another word they disappeared through the door and headed down stairs leaving Raven and Beast Boy on the roof. After several moments of silence and them standing around, Beast Boy spoke.

"So…want to get out of here?"

"To where?"

"Anywhere. Whatever happens, I'd rather not be around while those two go at it."

"Can't argue with that. But, where do we go?"

"Hmm…how about Fisherman's Village?"

"Fisherman's Village?"

"Yeah, it's down by the marina. Few shops, couple of restaurants and a wonderful view."

"Sounds wonderful."

"Then let's go." Not waiting for an answer he transformed into a falcon and winged his way off the edge of the tower. A moment later Raven rose into the air and followed.

Crossing the water to the city they followed the water line for a mile before descending. Landing on the cobblestone walk that separated the many wooden docks from the row of fish markets, shops, bars and restaurants, they began walking at a leisurely pace down the relatively empty lane. A few others, some locals, some tourists meandered through the shops and checked the menus posted, more often than not, on chalkboards out front. A few people took note of them as they passed. The locals nodded or waved while the tourists stopped and stared for a moment.

Walking along, checking out whatever struck them, the pair took in all that the quaint little area had. As they neared the end Beast Boy spoke out of the blue.

"Hungary?" Surprised, it took Raven a moment to realize how hungry she was.

"Uh…yeah. Any ideas?"

"How about there?" He pointed to a small restaurant near the end of the row that had a number of tables out front, surrounded by a wrought iron fence. The faded paint of the wooden sign swaying slowly on slightly rusted hinged named it as The Evening Catch.

"Um…okay." He led the way to the front podium where the host stood waiting, a half dozen tables filled behind her.

"Good evening sir. Would you like a table?"

"Uh…yeah. One out front if you could."

"Certainly, this way." Grabbing a pair of menus she led them into the restaurant, the walls of which were ornamented with various fishing regalia. Stepping back outside through the wide doors set into the building's front they took seats in the front corner, with an excellent view of the docks. "Would you like a beverage?"

"Uh…I'll have water."

"I don't suppose you have tea?"

"Oddly enough…we do. Our cook is Japanese, he keeps it on the menu, if only for himself."

"Then I'll have that."

"Very well. I'll be right back." Raven glanced through the menu, trying to find something different. After several moments Beast Boy's head popped up, surprised.

"Huh! They actually have tofu."

"Really?"

"Yeah…cool." They ordered and ate, barely a word passing between them. Every now and again one of them would look at the other and stare for just a moment before returning to their meals. Finishing, they paid and left, hand in hand. Stopping a few steps from the water's edge they glanced out over the shimmering bay and at the sun beginning to drop from the sky. Beast Boy turned to say something when a strange sound caught his enhanced ears. Looking around for a source he found a small craft making its way toward the dock in front of them.

After a moment Raven became aware of the sound as well and also located the source. A small, single masted sailboat cut through the water toward them. As it neared they made out the name Freedom on its prow. The sound, which was the hauntingly familiar tune of a violin, slowed to a stop as the man in the boat set the instrument aside and began working the tiller and sails. The boat expertly glided to a stop along the dock as a pair of anchor lines flew out from it and hooked tie off points at the same time. The sails rapidly came down as Raven and Beast Boy approached. A few moments later the man, carrying a violin case and wearing a baggy white shirt and rolled up khaki pants turned and stepped onto the dock, revealing his long gray hair, beard and well-tanned skin. He froze as his feet hit the wooden boards, staring at the pair. They stared back.

"Jack?"

* * *

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions. 


	5. Alternatives

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): Sorry this took so long. Updates are going to be more sporadic than before for various reasons. The long awaited continuation of the story begins.

* * *

Chapter 5

**Alternatives**

"Jack?" Raven said again. The man started from his frozen position and took a few steps closer to them.

"Raven…Garfield. Didn't expect to see you here. On the dock I mean. I was planning on visiting you later… How have you been?" Beast Boy was surprised at how quickly the man had regained his balance.

"Fine Jack. We've had a few trials, but we're good. You?"

"Oh…keeping on, keeping on." He stopped again and looked closely at Raven's eyes. She blinked under the scrutiny before he turned his gaze to Beast Boy. He stared for another moment before breaking out in a wide smile and a low chuckle. "So…that's how it is." The looked at each other, confused.

"What?"

"Your night must have gone even better after we parted company." Still confused for a moment, they both realized what he was insinuating at the same time. Comprehension and matching blushes crossed their faces. Beast Boy stammered.

"Well…you see…"

"No, no…no explanation needed. Think no more of it. So, what brings you folks down to the docks on such a fine evening?" Raven answered first.

"We needed to get away from the tower for a little while. It's been kind of hectic lately."

"Ah…I know how that can be. Never could get the hang of living with people. Not for long anyway. But such is my life." For several moments they stared at each other, unsure of what to say next. Eventually Jack spoke again. "Well, I have business to attend to further inland. I'll be sure to drop by the tower before I leave. If you don't mind that is."

"Of course not."

"Thank you. Garfield. Raven." He shook Beast Boy's hand and planted a respectful kiss on the back of Raven's. "Until fate brings us together again." With another warm nod he passed between them and headed on up the dock. They nodded in return and watched as he disappeared into a side street up the block. They turned at the same time and stared at each other for a moment before simultaneously letting out low chuckles. Beast Boy stopped first.

"That was unexpected."

"Yes. Odd meeting him here. I honestly didn't think I'd ever see him near the city."

"Sometimes people just surprise you like that."

"Yeah…" Raven glanced at the falling sun. "We should probably get back. Depending on what happened, the tower will either need more people for Sarah to talk to, or someone to start picking up the pieces."

"Agreed." A moment later Beast Boy transformed into an eagle and took flight. Raven followed after and they made the relatively short journey to the middle of the bay.

Setting down on the roof they listened for a moment. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary they headed for the door. Making their way downstairs, the silence continued. Raven glanced suspiciously around a corner.

"Weird. It's never this quiet in the tower…"

"I know… You don't suppose…she killed him?"

"I doubt it. Let's check the common room." She nodded and they headed for the main room. Stalking silently through the passages they reached their goal. Diving through the door they found an empty room, silent and dark. A whip of black energy flicked on the lights. Still seeing nothing they turned and headed back out to the hallway. Beast Boy glanced back and forth.

"Their rooms?"

"Yeah…Star's first." Taking the elevator down they passed through the hall to Starfire's quarters. The door slid open as they approached. Silence greeted them once again. Risking his vision, Beast Boy quickly stuck his head in and quickly glanced around. Popping back out he reported. "Nothing. They're not here."

"Robin's room then." He nodded and reluctantly led the way. As they turned a corner they found what they had been searching for. Raven knelt and picked up the purple top. "Guess they made up." Folding it she held it in mid air with a sheath of energy and moved over to pick up Robin's cape. Folding it as well she placed them both near his door. Turning she silently led them away from the Boy Wonder's quarters.

They walked on for several moments before something tugged at Raven's mind.

"Hey…where's Sarah?"

"Oh yeah, nearly forgot about her." After hesitating a moment he stepped over to a computer panel and pushed a few buttons. With a beep it reported her location as being the training room. "Uh…didn't we recommend that to her like eight hours ago?"

"Yeah. You don't think she'd still at it do you?"

"One way to find out." Continuing down the corridor they headed for the elevator. Arriving at the training room a minute later they entered to find Sarah still hard at work, using the holographic training system Robin had created when he first arrived. She noticed them after a few moments and stopped in mid punch, embarrassed. Composing herself she deactivated the hologram and walked over to them. Raven looked at her, surprise plain on her face.

"You've been training, all this time?"

"Uh…yeah. It was so much fun, I lost track of time." Beast Boy's eyebrow shot up.

"Fun?"

"Uh…yeah. Well…if you don't mind…I think I'll grab a shower," she yawned widely, "and go to bed."

"I guess it's see you tomorrow then."

"Thanks. Good night." With a nod she headed for the door and disappeared into the corridor. The pair glanced at each other and nodded in agreement. Without a word they headed for Raven's room. Reaching her door, Beast Boy took her hand a laid a gentle kiss on it. With a smile, he turned and headed for his quarters. Her heart melting very slightly, Raven backed into her own room and prepared for sleep.

* * *

It was relatively early in the morning when Robin first started awake. Carefully disengaging himself from the angel lying next to him he stalked silently to the bathroom. His body worked mechanically through a quick shower while his mind hummed to itself, too pleased to think coherently. For the first time in days, he was contented again. Slipping silently into training gear, he left the room, the gentle swoosh of the doors the only sound. 

Making his way through the silent tower he headed for the training room. As he approached, he was surprised to hear someone already awake and training within. The door slid open at his approach to reveal Sarah, wearing a training outfit she must have found somewhere, practicing with the holographic program he had installed shortly after first arriving. He watched her for several moments, surprised at how quickly she was picking things up after watching the hologram.

He stepped closer and she noticed him a moment before he spoke.

"So, I see you found the training program."

"Uh…yeah. I had so much fun learning yesterday that I couldn't wait to come back this morning. I hope that's all right…"

"Of course, you are our guest after all. I notice you're already into the intermediate program. You must be a really fast learner to go so far."

"I guess so. Sometimes I just pick things up quick. This hologram has been really useful." Robin began circling the training mat.

"Yes, holograms can be an excellent training tool. Just one problem with them." He reached the control panel and switched it off. "Holograms don't hit back. So, what do you say to a little sparing? Promise I'll go easy."

"Hmm…okay."

"Excellent." He stretched for a moment and took a place on the mat opposite her. They faced each other and bowed. Stepping back into matching stances, each took several deep breaths. Robin hesitated for only a moment before striking. He reserved his style, using only moves she knew.

* * *

With all the dignity and ceremony of an avalanche, Beast Boy rolled out of bed and fell to the floor. Rising with adrenaline powered quickness he slumped back down a bit after realizing he wasn't in fact under attack. Going through his morning stretching routine he decided to make it an easy morning and skip his normal workout. He had a feeling he would need all his energy today. 

Taking a shower and changing into his uniform he headed for the main room to find some breakfast. Arriving at his destination he found Raven already at the table, leaning over a cup of tea, eyes closed. She looked up as he entered and smiled in a way he knew was reserved for him and him alone. He smiled back, a smile meant just for her. She turned back to her tea and he headed for the fridge. They didn't need to speak, one quick look said everything they wanted to say.

Reaching the counter, he was surprised to find the frying pan on low heat and tofu already prepped on a plate. Glancing back at Raven's back ha smiled before proceeding to cook his breakfast. Fixing a plate and dealing with dishes he sat down next to her at the table's corner. After several minutes of silence Raven rose and set her cup in the sink. After finishing, Beast Boy did the same with his dishes. For several minutes they continued to sit in silence until Raven finally spoke.

"Well…it's been a week and still no threat to Sarah. I wonder what this 'boss' is waiting for?"

"No idea. You don't think…there is a boss, right?"

"I'm pretty sure she didn't just make it up. All we can do is wait."

"I suppose you're right…" A moment later the door slid open and Robin entered, followed by Starfire. Whatever had been going on between them the last few days had clearly been put in the past. They were once again all smiles. After quickly trading greetings they headed for the kitchen to collect their own breakfasts. As they returned and took seats side by side, the door slid open once again and Sarah emerged.

She also greeted them and headed for the kitchen. Collecting a bowl of cereal she sat as well, apart from both couples. After several moments she decided to break the silence.

"So Robin, how am I doing?" He considered the question for a moment before answering, the others curious as to what she was talking about.

"Extremely well. You're a very quick study." Seeing the confused looks on the others, he elaborated. "She been training with that hologram down in the gym. She's getting quite good."

"Thanks. It might come in useful when the Boss finds me."

"Speaking of which…any idea where she might be?"

"No… But I'm sure she'll waste no time when she figures out I've come here." Robin nodded.

"Well…I guess all we can do is-" He was cut off as the view screen suddenly flared to life. Each of them sprang to their feet and turned, surprised.

A woman wearing a tightly wrapped red overcoat and a wide brimmed red hat that hid all but the ends of her long blond hair, appeared in front of them. With out a moment's hesitation, she spoke.

"Teen Titans, I am aware that there is one staying with you that I with to speak with. I have made several  
attempts to procure her services peacefully. Now I run out of time. You will accompany her to the roof of the office tower under construction on 4th and Jameson. If you fail to comply," she raised her right hand to show a detonator, "I will be forced to begin destroying some of this cities more valuable buildings. You have one hour." The image winked out.

All five of them stood in silence for several moments. Sarah's face was twisted in horror at what might happen because of her. Raven turned to face their fearless leader.

"Any ideas?" He shook his head slowly.

"No. We can't just give her up…but there's no way we can search the city in an hour."

"Could we go as a diversion? It might buy the police some time to search."

"No B. She'll have that covered. Maybe we can find a way to block the detonator signal… Cyborg could do it no sweat. Or maybe…"

"I'll turn myself over." They spun around to stare at Sarah, who was looking off into nothing.

"Friend Sarah, we cannot just give up."

"Thanks Star, but it's what I have to do. No matter what she wants me to do, it can't be as bad as what she might do if I don't." For several moments that simply stared at her. Finally Raven slowly nodded.

"Okay. We'll find a way to get you back." Sarah nodded once in response. Robin took a deep breath.

"Okay. Let's get going. Sarah can ride the R-cycle with me. Titans…go…"

The R-Cycle was joined at street level several minutes later by Raven, Starfire and a green hawk. Racing quickly through the light traffic they soon arrived at the construction site. From there Raven transported them to the roof to await the meeting. The boss must have had the roof under survalence for it was far sooner than the deadline when a large helicopter descended from the sky and hovered a few inches above the partially finished floor and protruding girders. At this level of constriction there was hardly anything to walk on other than the steel beams and an occasional piece of plywood.

From the chopper hopped two women they recognized and a pair of well armed guards. One was the boss, her face still hidden, the other…was Jinx. The boss spoke.

"Excellent. Good to see you Titans can follow orders. Now, Sarah, last chance, will you join me?"

"Will...will you leave this city in peace?"

"Of course."

"Then...then I will go with you."

"Excell-"

"NO!" All of their heads whipped to the side to see a tattered man climbing the loose rope ladder to a small section of floor that was finished in the corner. Robin noticed the boss's hat come up just enough to reveal a pale face and bright read lip. From the place he gained in the corner, Jack spoke again. "I'll not allow you're family to corrupt another child!" The Boss's reply was stunned.

"Jack...we were sure you were dead. Well, guess I'll claim two prizes today. Jinx, take them down!" Taking a small step forward, the purple haired girl extended her hands and waves of energy began rushing outward, not at the team, but at the structure beneath them. Creaks and groans sounded all around them as the rivets and weld began to give way.

Sarah raised her arms to defend herself. "NO!" A hailstorm of rivets exploded from the beams then as Jinx's strange abilities took over. They were not without opposition though. Reality was twisting this way and that under Sarah's influence as well. Every rivet that popped out sailed across the structure, often ricocheting off several others, would immediately find a new home in recently vacated hole. As the beams slowly collapsed, they were reattached in a different position, only to be popped loose again moments later as the building slowly collapsed around them. Jinx poured on more power and Sarah countered her. The waves now seemed to be breaking around an invisible shield being projected around her.

The team did their best to keep footing as the building alternately destroyed and reconstructed its walls. It was an odd phenomenon watching the building grow consistently shorter but maintain its structural integrity.

After several moments of battling between the reality warping powers, a sudden flashing rift of energy appeared where the shield and waves met. Robin shouted over the chaos all around them.

"Raven! What is that!"

"I...I'm not sure! It looks like a rip in space time! We have to stop this! If they-" Without warning the rift exploded in massive flash consuming whatever she was going to say.

* * *

Robin came to startled and glanced around. The building, Sarah, everyone else...all gone. After a moment he realized he was looking through a mask. Pulling it off he looked at the front. Black...with two crossing slashes of red. After several moments his confused brain realized what it was he was looking at. 

"What the hell..."

* * *

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions. 


	6. Broken Threads

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): Finally, another chapter. I should have this story finished in the next couple days. I'm averaging about a chapter a day.

* * *

Chapter 6

**Broken Threads**

Starfire startled awake as the rain began to fall. She looked around quickly. Robin, where was Robin? Where was she? They had been…on a building…? He thoughts were fuzzy. She couldn't quite focus on anything. Raising her hand to rub her temples, she noticed the tattered sleeve of the hooded sweatshirt she had managed to salvage earlier in the day. It was amazing what people would throw away in this town. Wait…salvaged clothing? Why would she wear that? Looking over her huddled form she also saw the dirty jeans and tattered sneakers she had found.

Of course…her uniform had been too…unique. She had wanted to disappear after getting kicked out of the Tower and her uniform gave her away.

Wait…kicked out of the Tower? Her mind was confused. It was as if slices from two lives had been combined to form her memories, and neither was remotely like the other. She could remember being forced out of the Teen Titans, but she couldn't remember why. It was for that that she sat against this cold brick wall in a dark alley and suffered the drizzle falling on her. Instinctively she grabbed a nearby cardboard box to gain some shelter. Folding her thin frame up she fit neatly inside of it. As the rain pitter pattered on the box, she tried to collect her thoughts.

Working backward, she found that her memories more than a few months back weren't fragmented. Working day by day she tried to find the first time something was twisted. She remembered Hunter… He had come to the tower… The next few days seemed right… Then she and Robin had gone out for pizza… There had been a police chase nearby… And she blanked out. The next thing she remembered was the look on the other's faces as she left the tower for the last time. After that, her memories were spliced with another life. One still in the Tower. Were those memories a dream, a fantasy? They seemed too real for that. The tattered clothes and box she was cowering in spoke to how unlikely that was however.

Instead she tried to focus on the memories that fit with this place.

The first few days had been the hardest. She had left the Tower with nothing more than her uniform. She had considered going home, but had dismissed the idea immediately. If they discovered she had been kicked out of the Titans she would be jailed for life, possibly executed. She had tried to find a place to live, a job. She had never considered it before, but she really had no skills other than fighting crime and the only ones that she could join for that, had kicked her out. So she had ended up on the street.

Memories of what she had gone through those first days made her shiver. She had learned 'street smarts' the hard way. She learned quickly and painfully from a series of people she had encountered, each worse than the last. It was a darkened night two weeks ago she had reached the lowest point anyone can reach.

Huddled in an alley very similar to this one, save the smell of Italian food wafting from the next block, she had sat in the darkness staring at her exposed wrists and the rusty knife she had found. Unable to stand living anymore and unable to go home, she had been on the very edge of giving up. It was then that Marvin found her. He had been wandering the Jump City streets for years. He seemed to know all there was to know about the city. He was kindly elderly black man who wore a tattered trench coat and an eye patch over his left eye. He had a perpetual cough and walked with a slight limp. Despite all this, there seemed to be an air about him, as if he was royalty in disguise.

He had a manner about him that gave comfort to her and seemed to ward off the darkness that had closed in. From him she learned how to survive. He had been her friend and kept her from giving up. She found the will to live and had started to put together a life. She could get off the street. She would find a way.

And then he had been taken as well.

It had been a random police chase. The car flipped in the oddest way possible. If only she had been a second quicker she might have stopped it. But now…she was alone again. The irony of it crashed down on her again.

She was an alien, had super strength, starbolts, could fly and any number of other things…and here she was. None of those things mattered though. It had been a long time since she could summon the emotions necessary to use her powers. Silent laughs wracked her body until they changed into silent bone wracking sobs.

Several minutes later she managed to slow to a sob and wipe tears from her face. She couldn't do this anymore. She had to do something. Moments later she came to the decision she had been avoiding for days. The only choice she could really make. Finding the rain abated for the time being she rose and tossed off the box. Pulling the hood as far forward as she could, she huddled herself against the elements and started walking toward the street. Late as it was, there was hardly anyone out. She started off across town, headed for the docks.

A half hour later she reached the stone pier and gazed across the bay to the Titan's tower. Lights were still on, they were still awake. Searching her memory she managed to find a memory that gave her the emotion she needed. Lifting off the dock she flew silently through the dark night to the small island where the Tower stood.

Landing on the rocky shore she faltered. It seemed like so long since she had flown she didn't want to stop. Firmly landing she took a hesitant step toward the structure. As she did so, something caught her ear. It sounded like music. Or more, the echo of music heard from across the whole of time. She glanced around sharply, trying to find the source. For a split second she thought she saw a flicker over the city. If faded, as did the music. Turning back to the task at hand, she started the climb to the front door.

Thunder rumbled overhead as she approached the entry way and hit the call button. After several moments the face of Robin appeared. He had been smiling, but he turned immediately stern on recognizing her face. She could hear the others behind her they seemed to be watching a movie.

"Starfire." All background noise stopped as he spoke her name. He glanced off screen to confirm an unheard question. "What are you doing here?" The way he schooled his face and moderated his tone, most people would have never guessed the two of them had once been very close. "I told you not to come here." His voice was harsher now. She wanted to believe he was covering for any emotion that might be creeping up at seeing her, but she couldn't.

"I…I know. I'm sorry Robin." It was amazing how much a few weeks on the street changed her speech patterns. "I…I came to ask a favor. One last favor." She could see the consideration in his eyes as he stared.

"What?"

"Could…could you take me…home?" Several moments stretched out as he stared at her, masked eyes boring into her face. In a flash his hand shot out and keyed in a sequence on a nearby pad. The door slid open to her right.

"I assume you remember the way up." A moment later the screen went blank. Turning, she headed into the place she had called home.

The elevator opened unexpectedly on the guest quarters floor and she found herself facing Robin. There were no warm welcomes here, no forgiveness. "Follow me." She did as told and followed him one of the doors. "You can stay here overnight. We'll take you home in the morning." The door slid open and he motioned her in.

"Robin…I…I'm sorry…"

"I don't care."

"That's a lie! You do care! Robin… When I go home…I'll be imprisoned for the rest of my life, if I'm not executed. I didn't want to go with out telling you…I'm sorry."

"Sorry? That's what you said before. Are you sorry? I believe you're sorry. So do the others. But it doesn't change anything. YOU KILLED PEOPLE!" Like a flood the memories rushed back to her. They had followed the chase, found the car, the kidnapped children…she had lost it. No jury in the world would've convicted her…but Robin couldn't have a murderer on the team. She hadn't killed them in a rush of adrenaline. She had beaten them to death…and she had taken her time. She had said it was because they had stolen children….but the real reason… "It wasn't worth killing them. Not for kidnapping."

"It wasn't for that."

"What? You told me…"

"It was because you…were injured?"

"That bullet wound? That was nothing. I've been hurt worse. Why would that-"

"Because I love you, you bat brained idiot!" She hadn't meant to say it like that. The music had returned, it was scrambling her thoughts again. Robin stared at her, shocked. Before he could speak she ran into the room and let the door slide shut. A moment later she heard it lock from the outside.

It was wrong, it was all wrong. She didn't belong here, not like this. The music was growing. It wasn't an echo any longer; she could make out a tune. It seemed to come from the city. Moving to the window she looked out over the cityscape. After several moments of searching she found the flicker she had seen earlier. It was now a steady beacon, pulling her. She had to get to it. For some reason, everything would be better if she got to it. Looking around, she discovered just where she was. It was a specially designed room Cyborg had created to contain people with high strength. The windows were reinforced, the walls and door thicker. She had to get out of here.

Summoning all the emotion she could, the first punch landed against the door.

Minutes later she reached the roof and ran for the edge. A black shadow rose from the tile behind her and coalesced into Raven. "Star! Stop!" She ignored it and continued on, dodging a black coil that tried to entrap her legs. Diving off the roof she took flight and raced toward the city. A quick glance told her she wasn't alone. The R-Cycle and T-Car raced along the waves below her and a massive black shadow and an eagle's cry told her the others were close her tail. The music was pounding in her head now, making all other thought impossible.

Reaching the city she dodged a sonic cannon blast and wove between the buildings. Closing on the beacon she could see it was a tear of some sort located above a construction site that seemed familiar somehow. Grenades, sonic blasts, black balls and falcon dives filled the air as she strove to reach the tear. The music seemed to be all that there was, drowning out even the explosions mere feet from her. One of Robin's shock bolos wrapped around her ankles and released their charges. She tumbled forward as her nervous system was overloaded. The four pursuing Titan's were the last thing she saw before the world exploded in a blinding flash.

* * *

Robin recognized the mask immediately. It was the Red X mask he had used when working as Slade's apprentice. The reason for why he was wearing it now though… Glancing around he found himself in a broken down corner of a broken down room in a broken down building. It looked to have been a hotel room at some point. There was a passable bed, a dresser, two chairs and a table. Moving to a window he glanced out and beheld a city in ruin. Jump City was a wreck. Buildings were crushed, trees burned, streets torn apart. He instinctively knew Slade had done this. But how?

He spun around as footsteps began to draw closer. Slipping into the shadows he waited. After several moments Raven appeared, stepping cautiously into the room. She was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans instead of her uniform. Entering, she unzipped the sweat jacket she wore and tossed it onto a chair. She picked him out of the shadows and stepped toward him. He stepped out to meet her as well. She spoke as she closed the distance.

"I came as fast as I could. I'm sure I wasn't followed." Before he could react she stepped up and embraced him, catching his lips in a not dispassionate kiss. Acting on instinct he followed suit. For some reason this felt…not right….but correct. They had done this before, several times. It was how they had begun coping. It had started with comforting each other during those stolen moments when Slade let him free, but it had become something more. Wait…hadn't he been thinking of something else a minute ago? "Cy wanted me to tell you…we only lost three people on that last raid."

"That's three too many."

"Don't say that. If not for you, hundreds more would have been killed. Including me. You keep working for him because it's the only possible way to save anybody. We all know that."

"It didn't save Beast Boy…or Star."

"No…but it saved three hundred lives. They knew they might have to die in this work, they went onto it with their eyes open."

"On the battlefield or stopping something sure…not like this. Not to a virus stuck in them by a coward."

"You know your only options are to keep saving who you can, or stop and sacrifice me, Cyborg and everyone else. You can't protect them all alone." Stepping out of the embrace she moved over to the bed and sat down. He set his mask down on the table and turned to her.

"You're right…as usual…"

"Yeah… Now…come on." With a deft motion she removed her shirt and tossed it to the chair. "Slade'll get suspicious if you're gone too long."

"Yeah…he will."

* * *

A half hour later Robin headed for Slade's HQ, the one intact building in downtown Jump City. He passed through the dozens of sentinel bots on his X-Cycle and parked in the secure garage. Making his way into the lobby he headed for the elevator. As it began its accent, he was sure he heard faint music coming form the speakers…but that was ludicrous. Slade had never liked music, especially elevator music.

Stepping out of the lift he made his way toward Slade's form, standing at the far end of the room, observing a bank of monitors. "You're late." Robin instinctively dropped to his knees and bowed to the floor.

"I'm sorry sir. I thought I saw a rebel leader near the docks. I followed them and found a small cache of weapons. They escaped but the weapons are destroyed."

"I see." He stepped forward and pushed a few buttons on the control panel. Spybot video of him and Raven from just minutes ago played on screen. "Yes…quite dangerous weapons indeed." Images of Cyborg and Raven appeared on the main screen. "You've been more and more lax lately. Perhaps it's time for another reminder…"

"NO!" Something red streaked across the room and stuck into the console between Slade's hand and the buttons he was about to push.

"I thought I told you to remove these vestiges of your former life." He pulled the bird-a-rang free from the console and turned. "If you're going to keep being my apprentice-" Slade reeled under the power roundhouse that connected with his head.

"I'm not your apprentice!" Slade shook his head as he stood, facing the battle ready Robin.

"I see." He tossed the projectile to the side. "I always thought this day would come, though I expected to you would wait a little longer. After all, the student should always strive to best the master. You've always know your only options were victory or death. So…come…show me what you have learned"

With a primal roar Robin launched himself at Slade. His attacks weren't the refined techniques Bruce had taught him or the styles Slade had tried to impart, it raw, unbridled rage. Such unskilled attacks should have been easy for Slade to counter, but they arrived with such speed and such ferocity that he was being pummeled back into the wall. After taking several of these assaults Slade realized something incredible. Robin's skill level was higher than he could believe. Somehow he had hidden his level of expertise, and was finally pulling no punches.

Robin let out guttural shouts as he tore through Slade's defenses and shattered his body. He fought with all the hate and all the rage that had been building in him for the months of destruction, the death of his friends, and the murder of Jump City residence. A powerful palm strike sent Slade smashing into a column, causing much of it to crumble to the side. Slade lay stunned on what was left of the column's foot. With the structure gone a flickering tear was revealed in the air behind the struggling terrorist. Music was playing; Robin could just make it out over the pounding in his ears. Dashing forward he launched a powerful jump kick at Slade, who was just starting to sit up.

Robin felt the mask shatter as his foot made contact, followed by Slade's skull caving in. A split second later he contacted the rift and the world exploded in a white flash.

* * *

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions. 


	7. Patches

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): Two down…

* * *

Chapter 7

**Patches**

Raven's eyes sprang open then immediately squeezed shut. Slowly opening them so they could acclimate to the light she began to look around. The first thing she noticed was the red runes fading from her body. The second was the devastation. The city was wrecked. She was lying in a pile of rubble where a tower wall had collapsed. A number of stone figures were standing nearby. Forcing herself to her feet she looked around. In front of her, massive black singed footprints started a hundred yards away. Turning to follow them, her eyes widened in horror. Titan's tower was broken and…her father was using it as a chair. Backing away in terror she turned and ran.

It was several blocks before she was able to stop herself. Rounding a corner she dove in to an alley and pressed against the wall, breathing hard. No…they had stopped this…what was going on. Before she could try to make sense out of it, a voice came from the shadows.

"Raven?" She turned to find Robin stepping out of the shadows toward her. "It is you. You weren't hovering in the sky anymore…so we came looking for you…"

"Robin….what…what happened?" Robin looked befuddled as to how to explain.

"Uh…you…your father…Trigon…he came through the portal you made."

"No…No…we stopped this. Beast Boy helped me stop it. Trigon is banished and Verge was destroyed. Beast Boy…"

"Raven…Beast Boy's dead."

"What!"

"He…he came with us to try to stop Verge. He...Verge killed him." Raven felt the entire world crashing down around her. No…no! She was too shocked to even speak. A rumble of crashing concrete drew Robin's attention. "Come on…we have to get back to the others." Numb, she followed him back into the shadows and through the city. Ducking from street to street they made their way to a small wreck of a building on the east side. Still barely able to speak, she followed him inside to find a small fire and the smell of food.

Robin let go of her wrist and stepped up to the small circle of people huddled around the flames. "Hey guys, look who I found." Cyborg, Terra, Hunter and Starfire looked up from the fire and smiled weakly. They were tired and tattered. Each of them was dirty and unkempt, clothes nearly as much a mess as the people wearing them. They slid together to allow her and Robin to join the circle. She accepted a cup of weak tea and a sandwich Hunter handed her. Eating silently she noticed that they hardly looked at her…or each other. Her empathy told her there was no malice toward her. They just didn't have it in them anymore. They were…resigned. She had never known this group to ever feel that…but there it was.

After several minutes, she finally spoke.

"So…um…could you fill me in? On what happened?" They glanced around, none seeming to be able to speak. Finally Hunter nodded.

"We…tried to reach you to stop what you were doing. Beast Boy was reluctant to come. He thought there must be some other way. In the end though, he came. Verge was too much. We came close to stopping him, but he got a hold on Beast Boy. He froze us long enough for Trigon to get through the portal…and then he executed Beast Boy. His reward for that act was ascension to near god hood. We managed to get away, with Beast Boy's body. It's been cat and mouse ever since. Three weeks he's been toying with us. It's only a matter of time now." He fell silent again. After several moments Raven spoke again.

"Where…where is he?" Robin was the first to glance up from his tea.

"We…we buried him just outside of town… But…"

"What Robin?"

"Verge found the site. Nothing left but a crater."

"Oh…" Silence descended again. Raven suddenly looked around as she heard the thinnest wisp of music caught her ear. None of the others seemed to hear it. Standing, she headed for one of the blown out windows and glanced over the city. It seemed to be coming from downtown. Hunter noticed her actions.

"What? You see something?"

"No…don't you hear that?"

"What?"

"Ah…nothing. Just thought I heard something."

"I'm going to go…for a walk." Robin rose to his feet.

"I'll go with you." Raven nodded and they headed for the door. Picking carefully through the rubble Raven made her way through the city. She could hear the music again; rising ever so slightly as she moved closer to what she thought was its source. The level of destruction was incredible. Some blocks were simply gone, only craters remaining. It seemed Verge had been having fun with his newfound powers. After several minutes she stopped near a broken down construction site. She felt like the music was close now. "It's horrible isn't it?"

"…yes. It's also wrong."

"Of course it's wrong. Destruction like this is never right."

"No…I mean…it's wrong, it's all wrong. I don't belong here. This isn't how it happened. We stopped my father, Beast Boy stopped me and I stopped him." Her hand went instinctively to the spot on her shoulder where a bullet hole had once been.

"Raven…"

"NO! This is wrong! It's all wrong!"

"Raven…he's dead. We failed and now Trigon has taken the world. But now that you're here…maybe…" Raven glanced around, distracted. She noticed a flicker of the half build now destroyed building. An irresistible pull came from in as did the music that was steadily growing in her mind. She began unconsciously walking toward it. Robin, who had turned to look elsewhere, continued. "With your powers, we might have a fighting chance. And since you're the one who summoned him, maybe you can send him back…to…Raven?" He turned back to find her rising through the air toward the top of the building.

Jumping up along the collapsing girders he reached the top and grabbed hold of her wrist. She looked back at him as if she had forgotten he was there. "What?"

"Raven…what are you doing? He'll see us up here. We have to hide. You can't help us if you're dead."

"I…I can't help you."

"What? After all we've done to help you, you're just giving up and walking away?" For the first time, Raven was thankful for the mask over his face. If she had been able to see his eyes, pleading as she was sure they were, she wouldn't be able to do what she somehow knew she must.

'"No…I don't belong here. I'm sorry…but I can't help you." She pulled her arm free and rose toward the flickering tear, music so loud it drowned her thoughts.

"Raven!" She forced herself not to look back as she entered the tear.

* * *

Beast Boy rolled out of bed and landed on a pile of clothes with his usual ceremony. Running through his normal stretching routine he yawned deeply and looked around. His head was rather fuzzy this morning and he tried to shake it clear. Something about a building and…a boss? It felt like a dream to his morning addled brain. Well, he was sure it would all sort itself out. Turning to the window he glanced out over the city. Quiet morning, he couldn't see any traffic. Maybe it was Sunday. Picking through the clothes in his closet he pulled out an outfit and set it up for after his shower.

Heading into the bathroom he turned on the water in the shower and stripped down. Stepping in he let the hot water cover his head and drown out the outside world. His mind emptied as the water washed away thought.

A quick like of colder air and the slight squeal of the shower door was all the warning he had before a pair of thin feminine arms wrapped around him and her warm body pressed into his back. A smile played across his face. "Good morning." It was looking to e very good.

"Mm-hmm." That sounded odd for some reason. He turned around to find Terra pressed against him, blond hair starring to stick to her pale skin. She pressed forward and pinned him to the tile wall, catching his lips in a passionate kiss. Something in the back of his mind screamed that this was all wrong. His body didn't care. Chalking those thoughts up to that weird dream he returned her kiss with equal vigor.

* * *

An hour later they sat at the main table working though breakfast. Beast Boy glanced out over the city and found add there was still no traffic. He tried to think back to the last time it had been like that. When that failed he tried to remember what last Sunday had been like. That also failed. He tried thinking of anything from the last few weeks…then months. All failed. Terra seemed to notice he had stopped eating looked at him, concerned.

"What's wrong Gar?"

"I…I can't remember…anything…"

"Anything?"

"Not for the last few months anyway…"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh…I was…it was…right after you became Slade's apprentice…you had taken over the city. I came to find out why…and then…I can't remember anything else…"

"Really?" Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "You don't remember when we joined forced and took out Slade, and then drove the Teen Titan's before us and routed them from their own home? You don't remember how we've been ruling this city for weeks?"

It felt wrong somehow and yet…right. He could almost remember that happening. He could also almost remember it happening a different way. He rejected her and…a statue? "Hmmm…yeah…that sounds right..."

"Because it is right. Why don't you go for a little flight? You always seem more at ease after a quick flyover of the city."

"Yeah…maybe you're right. That sounds like just the thing." Rising, he headed for the door.

"I'll be waiting when you get beck. I can think of lots of ways to take your mind off of things." From the look in her eyes, he had no doubt what she was thinking about.

Reaching the roof he changed into a condor, it would be easy for him to ride the currents and relax. Winging toward the city he rose on an updraft and circled the docks. Had he actually turned on the Titans? That didn't seem right…but for Terra… He let the thoughts die away and tried to focus on more recent memories. He could recall little, and what did come seemed jumbled. A demon seemed to factor in strongly for no reason he could fathom. Raven also seemed to be common theme in those dream like memories, though he could still not find a clear reason, though he felt a strange warmth whenever he thought of her. A strange tune to that seemed…some how familiar.

His eagle eyes swept the city and he saw the occasional Sladebot patrolling the streets. Nothing but dull gray motion. Sweeping past an alley he did a double take. A flash of blue disappeared down there. Falling into a steep dive he landed a few blocks ahead of where the flash had been and concealed his human form behind a pile of crates. He waited several moments, and began to wonder if he had only imagined it. Just as he was about to turn and leave the cape came into view from the shadows. It covered an individual floating along a few inches above the ground. Raising his eyes he could see the face outlined by the hood. For one brief second light penetrated into that covering and he saw the sad face of Raven, eyes on the ground ahead of her.

In that one second memories crashed in on him. He had seen her face looking much the same. On a dark night on the roof of the tower, he had seen sadness, though for a different reason. He had seen much more of her. Days and nights spent together tore through his mind. With them came memories of Terra, doing many of the same things. Only those memories belonged to this world. The memories of Raven did not. But it was those that he felt were right. For some reason or other, those were his memories, and he didn't belong here.

Before he realized what he was doing, he had taken a step forward and had his hand outstretched. "Raven…" She had jumped back in shock at seeing him. Black energy encased her hands and her eyes glowed red.

"Traitor!" All he could do was stare at her, stunned as the first volley of blasts struck him. Flying back down the alley he smashed through the crates that he had been using for cover and was hit by a shower of broken glass. His body was covered with a hundred micro cuts as he rose, each drawing blood.

"Raven…wait…"

"No!" A second volley tossed him several feet away and again he struggled to his feet. "You threw in your lot with her and turned on your friends. You betrayed the city you swore to defend! And now…you are going to pay."

He nodded. "Yes. The Beast Boy you know did these things. But I am not him." That tune was rising again. She obviously couldn't hear it, but it was starting to grate on him. It sounded incredibly familiar for some reason. "This is not my world, I don't belong here." Raven hesitated a moment, considering what he had to say.

"No…you're not talking your way out of this one. I won't be confused by you." She dashed forward and hit him with a powerful punch that sent him into the next block. As he span through the air and tried to recover, something caught his eye off to the left. Standing took considerable effort after the crash landing into a wall. Barely maintaining his balance through the pain and the possible broken bone in his leg, he glanced to his left. There seemed to be a flickering tear in the air, above some cleared ground that contained a good deal of construction equipment. The music, that was starting to make it hard to think, was coming from there as well. Somehow…he had to get there.

He knew Raven was coming closer without looking for her. He had to get to that tear before she hunted him down and killed him like an animal. Changing into a sparrow he took flight and headed strait for the flickering goal. The black blast streaking past him was the first warning he had been found. Minimum evasion was all he still had the strength for. Like it or not, he was relying mostly on luck and Raven's bad aim to keep him alive.

The air became more and more densely packed with projectiles as he raced onward. When they suddenly stopped he resisted the urge to look back. If not for the music, the tune for which he finally recognized from one wonderful night on a lonely beach, pounding through his head, he was sure he could have heard her chanting. He could feel the massive black sphere as it closed in on him. The world exploded in blackness followed a split second later by blinding white.

* * *

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions. 


	8. Battleground

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): Now…back together again…

* * *

Chapter 8

**Battleground**

Robin's eyes refocused after the flash of light and he found himself drop kicking toward the third floor of a building. Instinctively he crouched as he made contact and drew a grappling hook. Springing off the wall he took a moment to find a target the building had collapsed so much. Finding a girder still sticking out, he fired. Swing through the night air he flipped up onto the edge of the structure and took stock of the situation.

First and foremost, he checked his clothes. He let out a sigh of relief at finding his familiar read and green. Memories of wherever he had just been, if it had actually been real, sat heavily on his mind. Shaking his head clear he looked for the others. They had apparently appeared at nearly the same time he had.

Raven was holding Beast Boy near the corner of what was now the top floor of the structure. He couldn't see exactly what was going on, but they looked injured. He'd have to deal with it later. His eyes found Starfire just as she rose above the building to his left. She turned to him and flew closer as he quickly surveyed the scene.

* * *

Starfire's body span as she recovered from the flash of light. Instinctively she summoned up the energy to fly. Opening her eyes as she stopped her fall, she found the road a mere dozen feet below her. Steadying herself, she looked around. The building seemed to have finished its collapse and was now stationary. Sparing only a moment, she checked her outfit. Relief flooded her at finding she wore the purple uniform that had become her trademark. The memories that still lingered would have to be dealt with at some point, but right now she had other things to worry about.

Her eyes sought the others as she began to rise. To her left, Raven had Surrounded Beast Boy and was carrying him back to the top of the structure. A flash of red drew her eyes as a figure swung around the corner of the building. Clearing the top of the building she saw Robin clearly and he crouched at the edge of the structure. He noticed her at the same time and she headed off in his direction.

Robin quickly surveyed the scene and yelled to her.

"Starfire! Take the guards!" She nodded and dove in toward the Boss's bodyguards. And she shot through the structure, she noticed Sarah and Jinx had stopped emitting their power fields and were now staring at each other, both drawing heavy breathes. The rip that had formed itself in the air, and was now fifty feet long having continued as the collision point of the energy fields traveled down, was beginning to sew itself shut from the top. Her glance to the elderly man that had appeared was the most surprising.

He was standing in the corner of the structure, playing a violin, a golden light seeming to radiate from the ground below him. With the light came an ethereal wind that flowed up all around him, casting his clothes and hair around his body. Suddenly she became aware of the tune he was playing as she passed overhead... A half second later she noticed there seemed to be some connection between it and the way the fissure was closing. A second after that all thoughts were pushed aside as she engaged the heavily armed guards and Robin launched a drop kick toward the Boss.

* * *

Raven's eyes were wide with fear as she looked over the various wounds Beast Boy had sustained. She had barely recovered from that flash of light before seeing him plummeting toward the ground. A split second before he hit the ground she had wrapped him a sheath of black energy. Together they rose back to the top of the now much shorter building. Its shape looked vaguely familiar to Raven but she pushed it out of her mind and gently laid him on what was now the top floor. The energy vanished and her eyes widened again as she got a closer look at his injuries.

The stomach of his shirt had been singed and the missing fabric revealed a massive bruise forming. She could just make the impression of knuckles still on his skin. Small knuckles. Pushing it aside, she continued looking. His entire body was covered with a thousand micro cuts, each bleeding. Though separately they were nothing to worry about, this many could cause serious blood loss. His body also seemed…stunned. He had suffered some sort of energy overload in the last few minutes and it had messed him up pretty badly.

Concentrating she focused her powers. White light began to envelope him. Cuts began to close themselves and that massive bruise started to fade before it had even formed. Several moments later his eyes opened slowly. Raven finished and the enveloping light began to fade. That had been weird. There had been a resonance of powers there while she had healed him. It felt as if her powers had done whatever had happened to him. Wondering what could have happened to him, she helped him sit up against a wall. Weakened herself she stayed kneeling at his side.

"Beast Boy…are you all right?" He looked around for a moment, clearly disorientated. After several moments he locked onto her eyes. At first his showed fear…then recognition…finally relief.

"R…Raven…?"

"I'm here Gar…" He smiled and let out a breath. "You okay?"

"Uh…yeah. Just a little dazed." Blinking, he glanced past her. "You should help them out." His head jerked toward the rest of the team. She hesitated and he noticed her clear reluctance to leave him. "I'm fine. Now will you go help them?" She nodded sharply and turned toward the arena the structure had become.

For the first time she became aware of the music emanating from one corner. Turning, she saw Jack playing a very familiar tune. Light seemed to rise from the steel beneath him and an ethereal wind tugged at his clothes. Confusion painted her face, wondering what he was doing. Glancing up she noticed the tear rapidly closing. That was something she was going to have to figure out later.

Starfire and Robin had engaged the Boss and her guards. Through evasive flying and judicious use of star bolts, she was slowly breaking down the guards' ability to fight. Robin on the other hand, seemed to be an even match for the red coated woman. She moved with incredible speed and grace despite coat and was matching each and every move.

To the other side Sarah and Jinx had given up their battle of reality twisting powers. She watched as the opening moves of their physical battle unfolded. She recognized Sarah's style instantly as coming from Robin's hologram. Strong as it was, the Hive academy had prepared its students well. They fought in a series of flowing assaults, neither gaining the clear edge. Jinx's attacks however were melded with the occasional purple blast, mostly aimed near Sarah's feet, trying to trip her. It looked to Raven like this tactic was a mistake. Every time she released a shot, she had to work twice as hard to defend herself against Sarah's next set of attacks.

Raven rose to her feet and then into the air. Her hand ignited in black spheres as she headed to help Starfire.

* * *

He was weak. Beast Boy could feel how drained he was in every part of his body. He could barely even turn his head as he watched the confrontations al around him. They had been stalemates, that was why Raven had to go. Robin and the red coated woman were fighting on a girder at the edge of the building. Raven was now helping Star manhandle the guards, that would be over soon. Sarah was finally getting some sort of advantage in the fight with Jinx.

The two women circled each other. You could almost feel the power they commanded, these two reality warping sorceresses. They were tired though. They had slowed down and their breaks to step back and take a breath were becoming more frequent and lasting longer. Neither had the strength to fight on much longer. It was going to come down to the last one standing. Someone had to be ready to take her place if Sarah fell. Through the bone deep weariness and shock pain that still lingered, Beast Boy slowly pushed himself up the wall he was sitting against.

It was just as he reached his feet that the whole exercise became moot. Giving everything she had left, Jinx launched one last blast at Sarah. Instead of countering it and wasting what little energy she had left, the woman dove to the side and rolled out of the way. Jinx had taken no pains to check her aim she had missed. The purple blast crashed into the girder on which the Boss was standing. The creaking metal was all the warning she had before a piece of the beam gave way. Losing her balance a split second later she fell from the building, following the chunk of steel.

Unable to control her flight she fell flat on her back the thirty feet to the ground. Beast Boy watched through the gaps in the construction as she plummeted. The chunk of steel landed on the upturned tines of a rake leaning against several bags of cement mix near the base of the building. Had it happened a hundredth of a second sooner, the rake would have been flung across the street. As it was, just as the rake reached a vertical position, the Boss's body crashed onto it. At that same moment, all the fighting ceased.

The guards slumped unconscious near each other, dumped there by Raven and Starfire. Jinx's final attack had left her vulnerable to the counter assault Sarah had launched and was soon also unconscious in a heap on the floor. Robin was standing on what remained of the beam, head turned away from the grizzly sight below. Turning from his now safe friends, Beast Boy looked for the rift and found it to be completely gone. His eyes immediately shot over to where he had seen Jack. Gone was the light, the wind…and the man. He was no where to be seen.

Police sirens drew his attention as half a dozen cars skidded to a halt at the base of the building. Three choppers filled the sky. The Jump City Police knew how to handle these events. Let the Titans do the work, then come in and mop up. Another time he might have resented it, right now he smiled. That was a mistake. He felt his knees about to give way. A split second before they did, Raven was there, supporting him. He smiled at her.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Is it over?"

"Yeah. Where's Jack?"

"No idea." He managed to raise his head and see the other three approaching. None of them looked really happy. They had, had survived, but they were exhausted. Robin glanced around the group.

"Come on…let's go home." Star nodded and began to ascend while a grappling hook carried Robin and Sarah down to the R-cycle, leaving Raven and Beast Boy alone. He looked over to her.

"Any chance I can get a ride?"

"Any chance you can change into something smaller?" Moments later, Raven rose into the air and silently headed for the tower, the small green finch asleep in the crook of her arm, protected by her cloak.

* * *

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions. 


	9. What Might Have Been

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): Trying to get this one wrapped up. One more chapter after this I think.

* * *

Chapter 9

**What Might Have Been**

Raven touched down on the roof and waited for Starfire to land beside her. Together they entered the door and began down the steps. Robin and Sarah were just arriving downstairs. In a few minutes they would be together in the common room debriefing. It had been a bizarre night. Raven wasn't even sure exactly what had happened. She had a feeling Robin would be asking her for answers she didn't have. She needed a few more minutes to gather her thoughts and try to make some sense of things. Glancing down at the small green bird still tucked under her cloak and for the first time seeing the dozens of small drying bloodstains on her uniform, she came to a decision. At a crossroads in the corridors she stopped.

"Star?"

"Yes?"

"Do me a favor. Tell Robin I'll be there in a couple minutes. I want to drop Best Boy off at his room and change clothes." Starfire nodded, understanding.

"I'll let him know."

"Thanks." Turning silently she began the walk to the elevator while Star headed for the common room. Drifting through halls Raven passed through the quiet tower. She could just feel Beast Boys heart beating against her arm. She had no idea what had happened to him while she was in the alternate world. Had he been in his own alternate verse? What had happened to him? Did she even want to know? She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. They were questions for tomorrow. Maybe the day after.

She arrived at his door and stepped through as the steel slid away. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that he must have programmed the door to let her in immediately. She unconsciously smiled at his as she flicked on the lights. She smiled again at the scene of devastation that greeted her eyes. The rare time she had been in his room told her that his was absolutely normal. Common sense told her there was no way this could be called sane, much less normal. She considered trying to straiten up a little, buy she only came up with one sure fire method to do that. Fire. Instead she cleared a narrow path through the chaos and made his bed respectably. As the black energy faded from the room she floated up a few feet and set the finch on the mattress.

She didn't want to disturb his dream, but she had little choice. Rubbing his feather very lightly she spoke softly.

"Garfield…Garfield…wake up…" After a moment the bird's eye slowly opened and looked around. Realizing where he was, he transformed back into Beast Boy. "Hey."

"Hey."

"What's going on?" He was already nodding off again, his neck refusing to keep his chin up.

"I have to go back up and talk to the others. You need to change and go to sleep."

"Sure you don't want me to come with you?" He started wobble and nearly fell before she stabilized him with a hand to his chest.

"No. Change, then sleep. Got it?" He threw up a lazy salute.

"Yes ma'am." After a moment he added a drowsy, "'night," and started kicking off his shoes. Confident he would follow through she headed for the door along the narrow path she had cut. Just before passing through she dimmed the lights so he could sleep, though she doubted that would be a problem.

Heading back along the halls she stretched her tired muscles. Things were never easy living in this building, but it was the price she paid, that they all paid. Soon enough she reached her own room and began to remove her uniform. It was highly unlikely she would be able to get the blood out, but it was worth a shot. Setting the uniform aside she looked through her closet. The few clothes she had that weren't more uniforms were unsuited to a late meeting followed by bed. Moving to her dresser she found a pair of midnight blue satin pajamas she hadn't worn in a while. Slipping into the pants and the long sleeved button down top she also put on a pair of dark slippers. She had never really thought of herself as a slipper person, but there was nothing for it.

With a longing look at her bed, she turned and headed out the door. It took only a minute to reach the common room. On entering she found the other three seated around the table. None of them commented on her outfit or even gave it a second glance. They might tomorrow, but that she would have the energy to do something about it as well. Sitting down she glanced around and waited. The silence dragged on for several minutes before Robin could ask.

"So…Raven…any idea what happened?" She considered a number of answers, but what she really need was more information.

"What seemed to have happened to me was that I was transported to an alternative universe where I lived about half an hour in my double's body." Robin nodded on agreement.

"Same here. I escaped through a rift in the air." He glanced over to Starfire, who nodded in agreement, unable to find any words.

"Okay, I'm going to assume the same thing happened to Beast Boy…" She considered it for a moment. If she was more awake she was sure it would have been easier to figure out what it meant. She turned to the other person at the table. "Sarah…how long were we gone?"

"Uh…a split second. I didn't even notice you weren't there until your flew out of that rift. I had other things on my mind."

"Yeah…" Raven tried to make sense of it, but her mind was fried. Maybe in the morning. "Well…for now it looks like no harm done. I suggest we get some sleep and try to figure it out in the morning." Nods came from the other and they all stood. Bidding good night, Robin and Starfire headed off in one direction while Sarah headed toward the guest rooms. After several moments Raven headed of for her room, thinking.

Whatever had happened to Garfield but have been pretty bad. That what she was going to ask, what had happened. Her experience had been the worst possible scenario her mind could create. If the others had been the same, what had they held? Robin's would have something to do with Slade probably. Starfire's…she had no idea what could be dreamt up in that alien mind. A couple things clicked in her thought process and she realized that Garfield's must have involved her fighting him; it was the only explanation for the faint echo on her powers in him. She considered asking him, and dismissed the idea. He would tell her if he wanted to, not before.

She had taken several steps through the door before realizing it wasn't her room she had entered. Side stepping a pile of clothes she glanced around at Garfield's room in the dim light. She took half a step back to the door before changing her mind. Hovering over the mess instead of wading through it, she laded lightly, sitting on the edge of his bed. Glancing down at his form, laying flat on his back sound asleep, she found he had at least managed to get his shirt off. A small pile directly below her said his shoes, socks and pants were also down there. Another night that would have evoked a stranger emotional response, tonight she was just glad he had managed to get that far before giving in.

Lifting the edge of the covers ever so slightly, she slipped into the sheets next to him. With out thinking she rolled against this side, head on his shoulder, arm draped across his chest, one leg between his. Only a moment later his arms shifted just a little. His right moved under and around her to hold her close with a hand against the small of her back and the left came up to hold her hand to his chest. Glancing up she just noticed a peaceful smile appear on his lips before she resettled her head and drifted of to sleep as well.

* * *

He came around slowly, his mind reluctantly rising out of the depths of REM sleep and in into the shallows of consciousness. His fingers flexed slightly and found two different textures. His right found a wide smooth surface, smooth almost to the point of being slick and soft. A gentle heat radiated from under his hand. In his left he found a far more familiar texture. It was another hand that he knew was a light gray without looking. He held it gently. Somewhere in the night she had come back to him. The small smile he already wore widened just a little bit.

Instinctively he knew he should probably get up, but he still felt tired, and was otherwise disinclined to move. Keeping his eyes closed he tried to settle back into his peaceful sleep. As he did so she stirred against him. He very studiously didn't move, hoping she wouldn't either. After a moment though he felt her head rise an inch off his chest. She spoke drearily, eyes barely opened.

"Garfield…?"

"Yeah?"

"What time is it?"

"Don't know, don't care."

"Should we get up?"

"No."

"Why?" He waited a moment before replying.

"Shh…we're sleeping right now."

"Garfield…"

"Shhh…"

Some part of her knew she should get up. The rest didn't care. Closing her eyes she dropped her head back on his shoulder and let herself drift back off to sleep. Beast Boy took a little longer to drop off. He spent a few minutes thinking about how lucky he was to have this incredible woman resting her head on his chest. The only thing that dampened the mood was the knowledge that they would eventually have to wake up again. But that was for later. Later…

* * *

Three hours later Raven came around once again. This time there was no sleep left in her and she actually opened her eyes. Blinking first at the excess light she was unfamiliar to waking with and then at her surroundings, she managed to force her eyes to focus. Doing her best not to disturb the still slumbering form beneath her she lifted her head and glanced around, trying to find a clock in this unfamiliar environment. After several moments of searching she found it. It several more moments for her to figure out the reason it made no sense was it was upside down. Mentally reversing the image she came up with the correct time…and started at how late it was. The clock read a half past eleven. She couldn't remember having slept that late before with the exception of massive physical injury.

Her mind was still processing how long she ad been asleep when she felt the first movement under her hand. It was a slight deepening of Garfield's breaths that told her he was waking. Turning her head back she waited. Moments later his eyes fluttered open and he smiled at the sight of her. Before she could say anything he leaned up and placed a light, sweet kiss on her lips. He pulled back, still smiling.

"Morning beautiful." She colored faintly and smiled back.

"Morning."

"So…we actually have to get up this time?"

"Yeah…we should." He nodded in response but made no move himself. After several moments he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"So…we going to get up?"

"Well…I sort of…can't…until you let me go."

"But I don't wanna!"

"And I don't want you to. But it's preferable to having Robin find us like this." He nodded slowly in agreement. After a few moments he reluctantly slackened his hold on her back and released the death grip on her hand. Just as reluctantly she rose away from him and turned to roll off the bed. A split second before falling she remembered how high his bed was and caught herself. Floating over the room she surveyed the mess that looked to be even more of a disaster area in the light of day. She had hung there for several moments before turning when she heard Garfield speak behind her, his voice filled with a strange sort of awe.

"Damn…" Turning, she found him staring at her with wide eyes. "You look…incredible." She blushed a little deeper this time.

"Thanks." She glanced at his exposed torso, the covers having fallen to his waist. "You don't look half bad yourself." He smiled again and popped up to the edge of his bed. "Well…I'd better get going." Floating backward she found a clear spot on the floor and descended. "Later." As she dropped a black portal appeared on the floor. He mouthed the words 'I love you' and just before she disappeared she returned the sentiment.

Beast Boy sat, staring at the spot on the floor where she had vanished for several long minutes, a smile set on his face. Eventually he dropped down from the bed and went through his usual stretching routine. Making his way through the mess along the narrow path Raven must have cut he reached the bathroom. All the sleep was gone from his body and the shower would help clear his mind. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Raven entered the common room and was surprised to find only Beast Boy there cooking breakfast. As he finished she found the teapot full of boiling water she knew would be waiting and silently prepared her tea. Sitting down beside him at the table she sipped as he quickly ate. They had been sitting, lost in their own thoughts for several minutes before she finally spoke.

"So…have the others been through?"

"Not yet." They relapsed into a comfortable silence, neither really having anything to say and no reason to say it. It was several minutes more before Robin and Starfire appeared, trailed several minutes later by Sarah. After passing greetings they also made breakfast and ate. It was then that a light tension set in. Everyone knowing what had to be talked about, yet no one wishing to be the first. It was finally Beast Boy who spoke tentatively.

"So…I had trouble focusing. It was like there were two of me in my own head, and that this one was the dream." The others nodded before realizing it. Only Robin continued on to speak.

"Yeah…it was confusing. I did what made sense, but there was this strange feeling in the back of my head that this wasn't at all right." Anther round of nodding passed among the titans before Starfire spoke. Sarah watched and listened, unsure of what to say.

"It was so real…was it real?" She directed the question to the table at large, but specifically to Raven. Is response she half shook her head.

"I…I don't know. People have postulate alternate dimensions for centuries. It's possible every little decision has a dozen little possible answers and a universe splinters off for each of them, repeated million times ever moments, hundreds of millions of times during a day. It sounds impossible…but with all the things we've seen, how can any of us say what the limits of possibility are?" She took a moment to construct her thoughts before continuing. "Maybe those worlds still continue the people there carrying chunks of our memories like we are carrying chunks of theirs."

They sat in silent contemplation for several minutes anyone could speak. Again it was Beast Boy who did.

"So…what do we do now?"

"Try to come to terms with them. Those memories, if those worlds are real, must be a possible way things could have happened, the end result of choices we might have made. I know it wasn't how I lived. That's all that matters to me." Robin cocked his head to the side, thinking.

"But…you said…we were those people."

"We might have been. But only for that half an hour. We weren't ourselves really, and could hardly have made intelligent choices. And the ones that came before, and that will come after, are not ours. Whatever memories I might remember making in that timeline, are not the ones I made here." The table fell silent again…each trying to sort out their memories. After several moments of silence, Sarah spoke.

"So…do you know…what caused it?" Raven started to speak a couple times before stopping. Finally she did.

"Not for sure. I can make an educated guess…" And a prodding gesture she continued. "I think it has something to do with the way your power and Jinx's interacted. She was trying to twist reality one way to her advantage and you were pushing the other way, warping it to yours. Everyone watched as that building tore itself apart and reconstructed itself as it collapsed. The very fabric of the universe was being twisted around on pretzels. Eventually the stress just became too much…and it tore. The backlash caught the four of us."

"I…sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Of you hadn't tried, Jinx could have brought down the building and the rest of the block. I think it was worth it." Sarah smiled, somewhat relieved, She had felt the culprit for the memories the others now had. After a few moments her mind turned to something else.

"Who…who was that man…the guy with the violin?" Robin noted that Raven and Beast Boy both perked up at this. Beast Boy was first to respond.

"Jack. His name is Jack. Raven and I have run into him a couple times. He's a musician…and a sailor."

"So…what was he doing?"

"It looked like he was closing the rift, though how that could be…"

"Stranger things have happened." Robin said, his mind still mostly elsewhere. "Any way to contact him? Perhaps figure out just where he fits into all of this?"

"No. He really is a drifter. I wonder if even he knows where he's going next." Another minute of silence later it seemed there was nothing more to say.

Raven rose and excused herself. Seconds later Beast Boy did the same. He fell into step along side of her as they left the room headed for the stairs. Silently he followed her to the roof. In the warm sun of the early after noon she left her hood down and for once tried to absorb the heat cascading down on her. Crossing her legs she sat down on the edge of the roof and tried to clear her mind. It wasn't really meditation, just trying to clear her thoughts. She had no ideas what the others might have experienced on their alternate realities, but she remembered hers. Talking had been cathartic; she realized with a start that she was at peace with those memories. It hardly seemed possible for her not to mind a world where everything had quite literally gone to hell, but there it was.

She opened her eyes and looked around. Beast Boy was laying on the roof edge, flat on his back, hands interlocked over his stomach, eyes closed with a small frown on his lips. Fro several moments she just stared at him. He seemed to sense this and his eyes popped open, staring at her, squinting against the sun. He smiled.

"Hey." She returned the smile.

"Hey."

"So I was thinking about what you said."

"Oh…what about it?"

"About not really being ourselves there…not being responsible for what we did." She had a vague feeling where this was headed and wanted to stop it right now. He opened his mouth to speak again, but she silenced him with a finger on his lips. Slightly surprised he closed his mouth and waited.

"Whatever happened…it wasn't you. And it wasn't me. What you do here, now, is all that matters." He smiled weakly in response and slowly sat up, facing her.

"Well…in that case…" He lightly grasped her chin and pulled her closer. "I'm going to kiss you." He did.

* * *

Later in the afternoon Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire and Sarah were all gathered in the common room watching TV, reading or engaging in some other time passing activity when Robin burst into the room, far more flashily than usual.

"Movie night!" It took everyone a moment to understand what this usually subdued caped crusader had just said. Beast Boy blinked a few times.

"What?"

"Movie night! We need something to take our minds off things, and what works better than the latest high budget, low plot, mindless piece of drivel from Hollywood?"

"Uh…okay…"

"Good. Raven, Beast Boy…you get the movie. Star, you and Sarah get the snacks and I'll get the pizza." Before anyone could really respond he turned on his heel and dashed out the door. They each stared at the others before they simultaneously rose. Raven was the first to find words.

"Uh…Titans go?" Everyone shrugged and split into pairs. As Star and Sarah headed for the ground floor Raven and Beast Boy split and headed for their rooms. Raven met up with him on the roof, again wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. Beast Boy's hat and jacket did a passable job of hiding him.

He hesitated only a moment before transforming into a condor and taking flight. She followed suit and soon they were cruising high over the city. After several minutes the course he had set became clear. Once again finding herself over low buildings and the suburbs she knew they were headed for Steve's. To confirm her suspicions, they set down just outside the video store a few minutes later. The transformed Beast Boy held the door for her to enter.

Striding in, she was again hit by the dimness of the place. A moment later he followed her in and led the way to the counter. Steve was busy pricing some used DVDs for sale as they approached. As they got right up in front of him he glanced up.

"Oh…Hey you two."

"Yo."

"Hello." Steve went back to the pricing as he continued talking.

"So, what can I do for you today?"

"We need a movie. Something interesting, strange, a little screwy and that will take our minds off the horrid week we've been having. Oh, and if it had alternate realities, all the better." Raven cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Ask for enough?" Beast Boy just shrugged in response, he could already see the gears turning in Steve's head. After several moments the proprietor's head rose slowly.

"Well…I'd say _Donnie Darko_, but you really have to think for that one…so…how about…got it. _Butterfly Effect_." Without looking he reached back to the shelves of cases and grabbed a disc. "Here you go."

Beast Boy looked it over. "Ashton Kutcher? Isn't he the guy from that show?"

"Yeah."

"But it's a comedy. This doesn't look like that."

"It's not. But he still does it well. Had a couple of customers I trust tell me he makes the movie." Beast Boy glanced back to Raven, who had been looking at the variety of Teen Titans merchandise while listening to them.

"What do you think?"

"What do we have to lose?"

"Our dignity and self respect."

"Yes…that's what I have to lose. I said we."

"Right…" He turned back. "We'll take it."

"Okay." His fingers flew over the keyboard for a moment followed by a beep. "All set. Took it off your account."

"Thanks." Beast Boy tucked the case into a pocket, waved and they headed out.

* * *

Sarah and the Titans sat around the couch, watching the screen with rapt attention. All the lights save the TV had been turned off, to better experience the movie Robin had said. A cursory examination after the first ten minutes told Raven it had nothing to do ambiance, and everything to do with being able to make out with Starfire. She and Robin were off to the left end of the couch, paying less attention to the movie than each other. Sarah war lying against the right arm rest, all of her attention on the screen. Raven and Beast Boy were seated in the middle of the couch and had also been watching the movie. There was no sign of contact between them except for his arm lying casually along the top of the couch behind her.

All around them open boxes of pizza, bags of chips, pretzels, soda cans and other snack foods sat, some empty, others forgotten for more pleasurable activities. Raven had been concentrating hard on the movie, intrigued by the cause and effect relationships within it. Over the last few minutes it had become increasingly hard to concentrate though because Beast Boy was tracing little shapes into her shoulder with his finger. She wasn't even sure he realized what he was doing, but it was starting to get to her. She carefully schooled her emotions and forced herself not to jump him right there on the couch.

Mercifully the movie ended only a few minutes later. The lights came up slowly to let their eyes adjust. Using it as an opportunity to take her mind off Beast Boy, Raven stood and used her powers to begin cleaning up. Empty containers were crushed into a small ball and deposited in the garbage. Dished floated over to the sink and half eaten food piled up on the counter, ready to be put away. Beast Boy grabbed the DVD, recased it and set it near the door so he might remember to take it back.

Raven glanced at the clock. It was only half past nine. Glancing around she knew the others had no intention of sleeping any time soon either. They had all had way too much sleep to go to bed this early. Robin looked between her and Beast Boy.

"Good call on the movie guys. I especially liked when…when…" Raven toyed with the idea of waiting him out. He hadn't been watching and he'd just saved her the trouble of calling him on it. Unfortunately, Sarah, who had just now risen from the couch, jumped in for him.

"His final solution was a little harsh…but it had to be. Makes you wonder of the same thing happened to his older siblings."

"Yeah…right, just what I was going to say." Raven nodded, openly unconvinced.

"O…kay."

"What?"

"Nothing Boy Wonder, nothing at all."

"That's what I thought."

"Uh-huh." They glanced around again. It was odd. The movie was done, but no one was tired. She wasn't sure that had ever happened before. Of course, she was relatively sure the whole tower had slept until noon either. Raven glanced around for something to do. "Well…we could…" He mind trailed off as a sound just caught the edge of her hearing. Her head cocked to the side, trying to hear more of it. Beast Boy took several steps closer and spoke, concerned.

"Raven…you okay?" A quick glance from her shut him up. She listened for several more seconds.

"Do you hear that?" He shook his head slightly. After a second he transformed into a dog and his ears perked right up. Motioning with his head, he led them out the door. As they followed the sound became audible to them as well. Beast Boy returned to his normal self and continued to lead the way. Soon they found themselves on the stairs to the roof. What they were hearing was a stringed instrument, probably a violin, playing what sounded to be a ballad of some sort. It repeated every thirty seconds or so with little breaks in between.

Silently opening the door they emerged onto the roof in a tight pack. It took several moments for their eyes to adjust though their ears told them where to look. Once they had, they could make out a form sitting on the edge of the roof, violin against his chin. With a final draw of the bow the tune died off and he looked up at the group.

"Evening." Raven and Beast Boy responded together.

"Hi Jack."

* * *

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions. 


	10. Moving On

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Teen Titans or their associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N): Finally, the last chapter in this story. Took long enough.

* * *

Chapter 10

**Moving On**

The rumpled old man slowly rose from his seat and set the violin aside. Sarah and the Titans relaxed and slowly spread out. Stretching slightly he waited. Beast Boy was the first to speak.

"Jack…I…I really don't know what to say first…"

"Perhaps I should start Garfield. I imagine you all have quite a few questions about what happened last night and what you saw me do." They each nodded slowly in response. "It's a long story. However, I sense you have the time. Perhaps we could find a more comfortable venue than this darkened roof for which to tell it? Warm and clear though these southern nights are, I shouldn't think we'd wish to stay out in them." Raven glanced at Robin who nodded and spoke.

"Sure. Let's head down to the common room." He stepped aside and motioned toward the door. Jack nodded and took just a moment to carefully set the instrument in its case before following. Carrying both the case and a canvas satchel he followed Robin and Starfire down the stairs into the tower. Raven, Beast Boy and Sarah followed behind, closing the door as they went.

No one spoke during the short trip to the common room though Jack did cast interested glances around the halls and down the corridors they passed. Arriving in the common room most of the group headed for the couch while Raven made for the kitchen and a pot of water. Jack grabbed a chair as he passed the table and set it in front of the TV. Sitting, he waited while the group arrayed themselves on the large couch. When Raven returned and sat down on the end next to Beast Boy, he nodded. After a few second to compose his thoughts, he began.

"The story I'm about to tell you has been passed down for…a thousand years at least. It was a dark time in the east, warring factions divided the lands. One man, a mystical warrior, appeared out of the mists of these times. He went by the name Togawa. He seemed to have a super human ability to understand the more esoteric parts of the world. Unfortunately, his extensive studies in such metaphysical worlds eventually cost him much of his humanity. It was in this later stage of his life that he developed something most of you are familiar with." Beast Boy nodded in recognition.

"The Soul Sword."

"Yes. He sought domination toward the end of his life. Before this though he created some truly incredible objects. Earlier in his life he sought to understand the working of the universe. Limited as science was at the time he was unable to form any mathematical ideas. However, one day while playing one of his many instruments, he discovered something extraordinary when he played a certain note on his violin." At this point a whistling came from the teapot and Raven rose from her seat. Silence reigned while she prepared tea and gave the each a cup. After a sip Robin questioned.

"What did he discover?"

"He noticed that when he played a certain note, a glass across the room would vibrate. This made him wonder if the same might e true of reality. For years he began to test harmonics, trying to find a note that could affect the very fabric of space and time. All of his work culminated in the creation of an instrument." Jack moved to the satchel he had brought down and drew out a second violin case, more word than the last. Opening it he revealed a black velvet interior and a master piece of wood working. Despite the wear on the case the violin and bow he drew from inside show not one scratch and looked brand new, as did the bow.

"He fashioned this with his own hands. In the hundreds of years since it was first constructed, it has never been cleaned or repaired, never had a string replaced. It has been in perfect tune since he first strung it." They all stared at it for a moment before Sarah spoke.

"What is it?"

"Exactly what it looks like, a violin. But the notes it plays resonate with the very fabric of the universe. When played well it can have a limited effect on reality. What you saw on that roof top was its influence being exerted. After Togawa developed it he spent years mastering how to use it correctly. Once he had mastered the instrument he knew he would need to pass on the skills if it was going to be of any use. So, he found an apprentice. For years the apprentice trained until he too had mastered the instrument. Having mastered tool and technique he was entrusted with both and left Togawa for parts unknown.

"Later on, after Togawa had begun to lose his grip on reality he wanted to regain the violin and use its powers for his own twisted ends. Fortunately, his apprentice had already passed on his training and the instrument. He went to his grave without revealing the location or name of his apprentice. Ever since, the skills and the violin have been passed on from master to student, master to student, always hidden from the rest of the world. For a thousand years it has existed this way.

"Only recently have disturbances in space time become a possible occurrence. When I was learning I could only fix tears y master had created. What you saw on that building was the centuries of mastery and training at their full effect." Each person considered what he said for a few moments. Finally Robin spoke.

"But…how did you know where to be?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it. I don't consciously go anywhere. I just sort of drift from place to place, hence the sailboat, and always seem to be where I'm able to do the most good." Raven thought he might have shot a quick glance at her and Beast Boy, but it happened so fast she could have imagined it. After several ore moments of silence, Beast Boy put his hands to his knees and rose.

"Well, most of that was way over _my_ head. Maybe Raven can explain it to me later, using small words." Raven cocked an eyebrow at this statement while it drew a smile from the others. "But for now, I'm going to bed. Good night everyone. Jack, it was good to see you again."

"You too Garfield." Beast Boy meandered out of the common room and down the corridor. Robin rose a moment later, followed by Starfire.

"For once Beast Boy had a good idea. Good night all. Jack, you're welcome to stay in one of the guest rooms, Sarah knows where they are."

"Thank you." Star followed robin from the room after bidding good night herself. After another moment of silence Raven also rose. She directed a questioning glance at Sarah.

"Uh…I…I think I'm going to stay up and talk to Jack…if he doesn't mind."

"No problem. I have a question or two for you as well." Raven nodded, accepting.

"Okay. Well, good night. See you tomorrow." They both nodded in response and Raven headed for the door. Stealing once last glance as it slid shut showed the pair still seated, contemplating each other in the light of a single lamp that shone from near the TV.

Raven quickly headed for her room and changed, again into the midnight blue satin pajamas, and melted into the floor. Arriving in Beast Boy's room she found him sitting on the edge of his bed, stripped to his boxers. When she arrived his face broke into a wide smile.

"I was hoping you might drop in. Have you come to explain what Jack said?"

"We both know you don't need that. No, I came to sleep. I seem to remember finding a comfortable spot around here last night…" She floated closer to him and a small smile crossed her face. "Would you happen to remember where that was?" He was under the cover and on his back nearly before she could finish. Smiling wider she slid in next to him and retook the position she had vacated that morning. Settling in her head again found a comfortable place on his shoulder. Her whole body seemed to relax at his light touch against her back. His other hand found her chin and raised her head just enough to look into his eyes.

"I love you Raven."

"I love you too Garfield." Smiling again she felt his breathing shallow out and she joined him in falling deep asleep.

* * *

The sun was just rising in the east and Jump City was slowly coming to life. Soon the populace would begin going about their normal business, secure in the knowledge that the town was protected by the Teen Titans. Their tower cast a protective shadow over the city and gave its residents comfort that only a handful of others could boast, Metropolis, Gotham and Steel among them.

At the base of the tower the garage door opened slowly and closed, just as slowly, a few moments later. The engine noise died away as the T-car came to a stop and shut down, back in its home. The driver door opened and the eldest of the Titans rose from the seat. Closing the door, he took several steps toward the door to the rest of the tower.

Cyborg stretched his various muscles as he walked on. It had been a long trip and he was glad to be home. After dropping Terra off in her new home, he had helped the others get to know her a little. After that failed, he and Bumble Bee had taken a few days off to relax. That had been a blast. Returning to Bee's tower they had found the team getting along rather well. Things seemed to be looking up for the once fallen Titan.

The T-car had performed well overnight. It had been the longest single run for the autopilot so far. He had been able to sleep in the reclined seat while the car crossed the long boring stretches of road that made up much of the west. He had set it to wake him at the slightest sign of a problem and was pleasantly surprised when he first awoke to the sight of the Pacific Ocean. He hadn't programmed autopilot for the hover function yet.

Working the rest of the mid-morning stiffness out of his muscles he headed for the elevator. Rising to the level of the common room he headed down the corridor. Reaching the main gathering room of the tower he was unsurprised to find it empty. Preparing a quick meal he greedily consumed it. After dealing with the dishes he glanced around. His eyes fell on a piece of paper sitting on the living room table. Striding over he picked it up and scanned over the writing.

_To the Teen Titans:_

_First I wish to thank you for the continuing hospitality you have shown me since I arrived. You took me in and sheltered me even though you had never met me. With your help I was able to face what I am and defeat those who had come after me. Now the time has come for my journey to continue away from the safety of this tower. Jack has offered and I have accepted the position as his apprentice. With his training I should be able to hone my powers to an even greater degree. He believes that combined with the violin, my abilities will outstrip any who have come before by many orders of magnitude._

_Unfortunately, neither of us is very good at saying goodbye. So we left this morning with the rising of the sun. Perhaps, one day, we shall meet again._

_Good bye my friends,_

_Sarah_

Cyborg looked over the note twice trying to make sense of it. Apparently there had been some happenings here while he'd been gone. He'd have to find out what from the others. Holding onto the note, he returned to the elevator to check on his room. As the lift made its way down to his level he tapped into the security system. Hmm…four other people. No surprise there. Star and Robin were both in his room. Again, no surprise. What he saw next threw him ore than a little.

Raven was in Beast Boy's room, with Beast Boy. He repressed the urge to check on how long she had been there. He had stepped over the line already checking up this closely, not need to push further. Making a mental note to question BB as to what he and Raven were doing, he stepped from the car and made for his room.

It felt good to be back in his own chamber after the extended trip to Steel City. Punching in his security code he opened the wall safe and replaced the pair of bracelets he had taken with him. They were designed to control Terra's powers and he had intended to give them to Bumble Bee. Bee had turned them down however. She had told him that if Terra was going to be part of the team, she needed to be trusted. Having those bracelets lying around would betray that trust.

As the safe closed he stepped back and fired up his computer. After doing a quick scan of the tower's systems and fixing a couple bugs he did quick review of the security log. One…no two people had been in here, one of and on for most of the time he was away and the second for just last night. Someone was going to have to fill him in.

Glancing up at the wall he noticed that a couple hours had passed since he had arrived. Shutting down the system he decided to try the common room once more. At least Robin should be up. Riding the lift back up, he passed through the short corridor and arrived at the common room. He was able to quickly scan the room before anyone noticed him.

Robin was indeed up and working on his computer. Starfire sat on the couch watching some bizarre coking show. Raven hovered in a corner reading what appeared to be some obscure manuscript. Beast Boy, the first to notice him, sat on the far side of the table, doodling incoherent pictures on a piece of paper and casting the occasional surreptitious glance at Raven. He vaulted the table as Cyborg stepped forward.

"Cyborg! You're back!" Firmly shaking his hand he stepped back at the others rapidly approached and did the same.

"So Cyborg, how was Steel City? How's Terra fitting in?"

"Good Rob. I think she's going to do well there."

"Excellent."

"It was nice to get away but man, does it feel good to be home."

"It's good to have you back man. Place wasn't the same without you."

"Thanks, B." A moment later Cyborg pulled out the note he had found. "But you did have some company. I found this when I came in this morning. Care to fill me in?" He handed the note to Beast Boy. After quickly scanning it his face registered surprise. He passed it on and each person read, also surprised. Beast boy was the firs to elaborate on their response.

"Yeah…this is a long story. I can fill you in on the way."

"'On the way'? On the way where?"

"Video store. I need to return this." From out of nowhere Beast Boy produced the DVD they had watched the previous night.

"Okay, sounds good. We can take the T-car."

"Awesome." Cyborg turned back to the door, followed by Beast Boy. As they headed out Robin and Star returned to their seats and whatever they were doing. Raven hesitated for a moment glancing between the door and her book. A moment later she headed out the door. Beast Boy was about to enter the elevator when she called to him.

"Beast Boy, wait up! I'll come with you." In response he muttered something she didn't quite catch to Cyborg and turned to meet her half way.

"Actually Rae…I was kind of hoping to talk to Cyborg alone." She looked surprised and just slightly hurt.

"Oh…uh…okay…"

"Hey…to make it up to you, how about I take you to dinner? Say…tonight at 6?"

"Uh…sure."

"Great!" He leaned in and kissed her quickly. "See you later." She smiled as he entered the elevator and disappeared. Raven turned slowly and headed back to the common room. Pulling her book over from the corner she headed for the roof. She needed to think. Though slightly surprised that Garfield didn't want her to come along, her mind was already working on what he could be talking to Cyborg about. Each of her emotions had an idea, each more far flung than the last.

* * *

The noonday sun shone down on a peaceful Jump City, the tower of its resident protectors and the car in which two of them were riding. After dropping off the movie and some welcome back pizza, Beast Boy and Cyborg were cruising around town getting caught up. Cyborg furrowed his brow as he spoke.

"Now that I think about it…I did see that sort of sailboat out in the harbor when I arrived…" While discussing the goings on while he had been gone, Cyborg had been trying to figure out how to ferret out what was going on between Beast Boy and Raven. Nothing had come to him so far. "So, what happened to Jinx in the end?"

"She's in custody. Apparently she's suffered some sort of backlash. There's been no evidence she can use her powers since she was imprisoned. The city's actually considering leaving the building the way it is. They think having a replica of the Arc de Triumph might be good for tourism." He glanced back out the window as the car rolled along. "Hey, Cyborg, stop the car. I just want to look here for a minute."

Cyborg obediently came to a quick stop and leaned forward to see what had Beast Boy interested. The answer surprised him. "Uh…B? This is a jewelry store."

"Yeah. I know." He pushed the door open and stepped out. "I want to get something for Raven."

And just like that, there it was. Cyborg took his shot. "Really? So, what's going on with your two anyway?"

"Going on? What do you mean?"

"B, don't even try to play dumb. You two are spending huge amounts of time together, you promised to take her to dinner to make up for not bringing her along and, most telling, you're shopping for her in a _jewelry store_." The slight reddening of Beast Boy's cheeks created an eye wrenching clash of colors on his face.

"Uh…yeah. See…uh…it's like…uh…"

"Oh…no way…no freaking way." A slightly insane grin crossed Cyborg's face. "You're kidding."

"What?"

"You're falling for her!" The look on Beast Boy's face was all the confirmation he needed. Just as he was about to mock the green one mercilessly, another realization struck. This time he spoke far softer. "And…she's fallen for you…"

"Uh…yeah. Could we talk about this later? Somewhere not quite so public?"

"Yeah…sure." Things began to click into place in Cyborg's head as he followed his friend into the store. He had had his suspicions about Beast Boy and Raven, but actually getting confirmation was something else all together. As his mind played out possibilities and slotted in this as the reason for certain actions over the last few weeks, his eyes scanned the store.

It was a typical small jewelry store, glass cases and velvet lining. Beast Boy was wander around looking at various things, Cyborg noticed blue seemed to be the color of choice, while the owner, a kindly elderly man, helped someone in a long trench coat. The owner nodded to him, but the other man didn't even glance around.

Glancing back, Beast Boy had stopped at a small display case set atop the cabinet displays. He was leaning close to the glass, his eyes fixed on one specific piece. Cyborg stepped over to see what had his attention. After a second's scanning he came to a startling realization. Before he could voice it however, Beast Boy spoke.

"This is it." He pointed slowly to a piece through the glass, seeming afraid to touch it. "This is the one for Raven." His voice had an odd sort of quality that Cyborg had never heard in it. Returning his attention to the case he voiced the earlier thought.

"Uh…B?"

"Yeah?"

"These are engagement rings."

"Yeah."

"You're not seriously thinking--" The telltale sound of a gun being cocked drew both of them inn heartbeat. The coated shopper had pulled out a Tec-9 and drawn a bead on the owner.

"Open the cases! Right now!" Neither Titan thought before acting. Beast Boy sprang across the gap in a lightning blur. The man turned to see what he expected to be a single shopper only to find a half metal man and a green blur. Beast Boy grabbed his free arm and swung him around, which set up a clear shot for Cyborg. The sonic blast threw the man across the store and smashed him into the wall. He slid to the floor a moment later, dropped the gun and passed out.

Both Titans turned to check on the owner, expecting the panicked mess most people were after an incident. Instead they found him, standing straight, looking rather impressed. Cyborg asked the obviously unnecessary question.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"Just fine. Thanks."

"No problem. If you don't mind me saying, you seem a little…calm."

"I was on the beach at Normandy. After that, I've never panicked a day in my life." Beast Boy looked at him with a newfound respect and just a little awe.

"Oh. Then thank you. We all owe you guys one for that."

"We serve as we can. Now, until the cops arrive, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah, actually. There was a ring over here I was interested in…"

* * *

When they returned to the tower, Beast Boy disappeared almost immediately, so Cyborg was alone when Raven found him stepping off the elevator. Doing his best to extract himself from that part of the tower, he put on a locked smile. "Uh…hi Raven."

"Hello…Cyborg." Something about the tone of her voice made him swallow hard. Her face had a definite determination about it.

"Uh…something I can do for you?"

"Yes. You can tell me where you two have been for the last…five hours."

"We were…out. B was filling me in on what happened. And we got pizza."

"And?"

"And nothing. That was it." He very innocently started to edge past her down the hall and she began to very innocently move to block him.

"Nothing else happened?" He swallowed again as her face switched to 'tell me or you're going to an alternate dimension' mode. Suddenly a desperate gamble that just might save his hide occurred to him.

"Nope. Nothing. You know, you seem rather interested in what we were doing. I'd almost think you care about him." The moment of stunned silence was what he was hoping for. "Well, you can ask him about it. I'll seeyoulaterbye!" He nearly sprinted down the hall before she could recover and stop him. People, he had to find people. She wouldn't hurt him then. Probably.

* * *

Raven stalked down another corridor of the tower. Beast Boy was doing an excellent job hiding. The others had all seen him for a moment or more but he had so far evaded her search. Cyborg had been studiously hanging around the others in an attempt to avoid her questions. She glanced at her communicator. Damn. His ruse had worked, it was five-thirty. She had to get ready. Cyborg's interrogation would have to wait.

Dropping through the floor she appeared in her room. It took a moment before she saw the flower on her bed. Picking up the bright red rose she found a note attached.

_Raven,_

_6 o'clock on the roof. I'd appreciate it if you wore that dress._

_Garfield_

Reading the note a couple times she eventually set it on her night stand with the rose next to her mirror. Casting off her cloak and striding to the closet she pushed aside her normal clothes and pulled out the hanging bag that contained the dress she had worn to the Justice League party. A smile crossed her face at the memories that sprang into her mind.

Silently slipping into the dress, it took a few minutes to find the matching heels. Slipping them on as well she glanced at the clock. Just enough time to get to the roof. Putting thoughts of Cyborg and apprehension over what Beast Boy had in store out of her mind, she slipped on her coat and headed for the roof.

Silently stepping out into the late afternoon she found Beast Boy standing at the roof's edge, holding another rose, dressed in his tuxedo. A large smile crossed his face at the sight of her and was mirrored by a smaller one on her own. He stepped forward and held the rose out to her.

"You look incredible Rae."

"Thanks. So do you." Any anger she had at his hiding was gone in an instant. She reached out for the rose. Taking a firm grip she was thrown when he gave a small tug and pulled her into a rather deep kiss. Releasing her several moments later he spoke.

"Raven? You trust me, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. I want where we're going to be surprise. I will tell you that it's very exclusive and nearly impossible to get into."

"Okay…"

"So. I need you to do two things. First…" He turned around. "I wrap your arms around my neck and hang on." She was only too willing to wrap her arms around him as she pressed herself against his back. "And second, I need you to close your eyes and promise not to open them until I tell you." This was harder for her, but she allowed her eyes to slip closed.

"I promise."

"Excellent. Now…hold on." She could feel his body changing to something rather larger. After a moment he took a step and then took to the air. After a moment she decided he must be a pterodactyl. It was the only form he had large enough to carry her for long. He dove, then rose, then dove again and went through a dozen banks. She realized this was for more than the fun of it. Her sense of direction was now thoroughly confused. Unable to see, she instead enjoyed the air rushing past her and the feel of Garfield's body beneath her.

It was at least a half hour later when she felt them begin to descend. Moments later Garfield managed a soft landing. Her feet touched down as he reverted to his human form. She was immediately struck by how quiet it was. Where would they be that it could be like this? She felt Garfield slip out of her grasp and reappear behind her. His hands covered her eyes and she could feel him talking against the side of her neck.

"Ready?" She nodded. "Good. Okay…surprise." He removed his hands and she opened her eyes. It took several moments for her eyes to adjust to the light of the setting sun and then to figure out where they were. She looked around in wonder. It was the same rocky outcropping they had first found after leaving the party for the Justice League. Bathed in late evening sun, it was an even more incredible view.

Looking at her immediate setting, she was even more surprised. A blanket had been laid out with all the trimmings for a rather formal picnic. The spread was exceptional and far beyond what she knew he could make.

"Since when can you cook like this?"

"Since never. This I got catered." He motioned to the blanket, which was partially laid over the natural bench they had found, and she joined him to share a rather extraordinary view over an excellent meal. The same amiable silence that accompanied so much of their time together fell over them once again.

The meal was finished as the first rays of the sun touched the horizon. Packing everything away in record time, Garfield returned to Raven's side and pulled her close with his left arm. She let her head rest on his shoulder and feel the beat of his heart.

"I love you Raven."

"I love you too Garfield." She could fell rather than see the smile that crossed his face. She suspected hers mirrored it quite accurately.

"Well then…I have just one little favor to ask you…" Confusion crossed her face as he slid away from her and twisted around to land on one knee facing her.

Her eyes grew wide and breath caught in her throat as she noticed the small velvet covered box held in his right hand.

* * *

And that does it for Strings of Fate. Check out the wrap up for further comments.

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions.


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